English Vocabulary in Use - Upper-Intermediate

22 Food

A Talking about flavours and tastes - adjectives and some opposites (≠)

hot, spicy (e.g. curry) ≠ mild bland [very little flavour; rather negative]
salty [a lot of salt] sugary [a lot of sugar] sickly [too much sugar]
savoury /ˈseɪvəri/ [pleasant, slightly salty or with herbs]
sour [sharp, often unpleasant taste, like a lemon, and not sweet]
bitter [with an unpleasantly sharp taste] tasty [has a good taste/flavour] ≠ tasteless [no flavour at all]
moreish [having a pleasant taste, so you want to eat more]

I love spicy food, especially curries - the hotter the better! My sister prefers mild curries.
Those cakes are too sugary for me. They have a sickly taste.
They had some delicious savoury snacks at the party. They were very moreish.
The breakfast buffet was very poor quality: the coffee tasted bitter and the fruit juice was sour.
The food on the plane was bland and tasteless - it was like eating cardboard!

B Appearance, presentation and quality of food

This meat is overcooked/overdone / undercooked/underdone.
I’m afraid this mango is a bit unripe. They’re not really in season at the moment. [not ready to eat; opp
= ripe] [being produced and ready and available]
This butter has gone off. I think we should throw it out. [not good to eat because it is too old]
I don’t feel like anything heavy. I just want something light; a salad would be fine.
British cooking can be very stodgy. /ˈstɒdʒi/ [heavy, hard to digest]
Zoe will only buy organic fruit and vegetables. [grown without artificial chemicals]
We should try to have a balanced diet, without too much or too little of any particular thing.
A diet of junk food can cause long-term health problems. [food that is unhealthy but easy and quick to
eat] Processed food in general is not good for you. [that has been treated with chemicals to preserve it or
give it extra colour or taste]

C Eating out

At most good restaurants, you usually have to book a table
/ make a reservation beforehand. If something happens, or
you are ill, you may need to cancel the booking/reservation. In the UK a
meal in a restaurant is typically three courses: a starter1, a main course,
then a dessert. You can often order side dishes2. Some restaurants may
have a set menu [a selection of dishes at a fixed price], or you can order
individual dishes (called ordering à-la-carte). Restaurants often have
specials3 advertised on a board. They often cater for vegetarians, non-
meat-eaters4 and vegans5.

1 light snack / appetiser 2 a smaller dish alongside the main course (e.g. an extra vegetable)
3 dishes only available on that day 4 people who don’t eat meat but who are not vegetarians
5 people who don’t eat or use any animal products, such as meat, fish, eggs, cheese or leather

D Eating at home 1 the person who has invited the guests
HOST:1 Right, there’s more soup. Who wants seconds2? 2 a second serving of something
GUEST: Oh, yes, please. It was absolutely delicious. 3 serve yourself
HOST: There’s bread here. Just help yourself3. 4 desserts are often called pudding
GUEST: Thanks. (uncountable), a sweet (countable) or
HOST: Be sure to keep a bit of room for some pudding4.
afters (plural) at home
Can I re-fill your glass?

GUEST: Ah, yes, thank you.
HOST: Say when.
GUEST: When! That’s fine. Thanks.

50 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

22.1 Which taste and flavour words opposite could you use to describe the following?
22.2
22.3 1 a strong Indian curry spicy / hot 4 an unripe apple
5 a cup of tea with five spoonfuls of sugar
22.4 2 a pizza with cheese and herbs 6 extremely strong black coffee with no sugar
22.5 3 sea water

Using words from B opposite, what could you say to the person/people with you in a
restaurant if …

1 you had ordered a mild curry but got the opposite? This curry is too hot / too spicy for me.

2 the fish you ordered had obviously been cooked too much / too long?
3 you ordered melon and it was very hard?
4 your dish seemed to have no flavours at all?
5 there was too much salt in your soup?
6 someone at your table recommended a big steak but you just wanted a salad?
7 the dish you ordered was very heavy and difficult to digest?
8 a piece of chicken you ordered had not been cooked enough?
9 you wonder if the vegetables have been grown without artificial chemicals?

Read the comments and then complete the sentences with words and phrases from the
opposite page.

1 Chris: ‘I had to call the waiter to bring me a knife and fork.’ Chris needed

(some) cutlery .
2 Emma: ‘If you want a dish not on the menu there’s usually a blackboard with other dishes.’
The restaurant usually has some
.
3 Oscar: ‘The peanuts were free and I just couldn’t stop eating them.’ Oscar thought the
peanuts were
.
4 Tina: ‘I needed one because I didn’t want to spill food on my new dress.’ Tina needed

.
5 Jordi: ‘I’m not a vegetarian; I just don’t eat meat.’ Jordi is a .
6 Okas: ‘I didn’t like the set menu. I ordered individual dishes.’ Okas ordered
7 Phoebe: ‘It’s a big student restaurant. You don’t need to phone beforehand.’ Phoebe said .

you don’t need to / . (two answers)
8 Krishnan: ‘With my main course I ordered an extra bowl of chips and some mushrooms.’
Krishnan ordered a couple of
.
9 Emily: ‘Everybody had colds so we phoned the restaurant and said we weren’t coming.’
Emily and her friends cancelled / . (two answers)
10 Hannah: ‘I had some prawns before the main course.’ Hannah had
.

If you were the host at a dinner party, what could you say to your guests if …

1 you offered them another serving of something? Who wants seconds ?
2 you wanted them to serve themselves? Please
.
3 you started to re-fill their glass? . What could the guest say when you had
poured enough? !
4 you offered them something sweet after the main course? Would you like /

/ / ? (four possible answers)

Over to you

Write sentences that are true for you.

1 Which words from A and B opposite could you use to describe the food of your country or culture? Give
some examples of dishes. Which fruit or vegetables are in season at different times of the year?

2 Describe your favourite dish, what is in it, how it is prepared, what flavours it has, etc.
3 How often do you eat junk food or processed food? Why? Do you have a balanced diet? In what ways?

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 51

23 Physical geography

A Geographical features

You have to be careful about the use of ‘the’ with geographical features.

countries use with ‘the’? example
countries which are in a plural form no France
individual mountains yes the USA, the Philippines
mountains in the Bernese Oberland no Mount Everest
mountain chains yes the Jungfrau /ˈjʊŋfraʊ/
islands yes the Himalayas /hɪməˈleɪjəz/
groups of islands no Sicily
rivers yes the West Indies
oceans yes the Volga
seas yes the Pacific
gulfs, bays and straits yes the Mediterranean /medɪtəˈreɪniən/
yes the Gulf of Mexico, the Bay of Biscay, the
lakes Strait of Malacca
currents no
yes Lake Erie
the Gulf Stream

Language help

Although most countries do not take ‘the’, they do need the definite article when they are
followed by a phrase limiting the meaning, e.g. the Japan of today, the France we know from
paintings, the South America of the past.

B Geographical features in Iceland

Iceland An cisolannsdistrseplaurbgleiclyinofthbearNreonrthplAatilnasn1tica.nTdhe
landscape

mountains, with hlaarsgeacictievefievldoslcpaanrotiecsu2laarlnydinisthkenoswountfhor
west. The island
its thermal3 springs and geysers4. With less than 1% of
the land suitable for growing crops5, the nation’s economy

is bthaeseedxpoonrtfsis.hAinrge,aa: n1d03fi,s0h00prkomd2u.cPtsopacuclaotuionnt :fo3r1880,0%00.
of

Capital: Reykjavik.

1 flat land where little grows 2 volcanoes that still erupt
3 hot 4 hole in the ground that sends out hot water and
steam 5 food that is grown

C The sea, rivers and mountains

Where land meets sea: coast, shore, beach
Words connected with rivers: valley, gorge [valley with very
steep sides], stream [small river]
Words connected with mountains: foot, ridge, peak,
summit, glacier [river of ice]

52 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

23.1 Find words on the opposite page that match the definitions. River Amazon
23.2
1 a movement of water in a particular direction current Brazil

2 the wide part of a river at its mouth Brasilia
3 the top of a mountain (two words) Rio de Janeiro
4 the place where a river starts
5 the land along the edge of a sea or lake
6 a narrow stretch of sea between two areas of land
7 a long piece of land sticking out into the sea or a lake
8 a long narrow high part of a mountain

In the paragraph below all the instances of the have been
omitted. Insert them wherever they are necessary.

Brazil ist∧hfeifth largest country in world. In north,

densely forested basin of River Amazon covers half
country. In east, country is washed by Atlantic.
Highest mountain chain in South America, Andes,
does not lie in Brazil. Brazil’s most famous city
is Rio de Janeiro, former capital. Today capital of
Brazil is Brasilia.

23.3 Can you answer the following general knowledge geography quiz?
23.4
1 What is the highest mountain in Africa? Mount Kilimanjaro

2 What is the longest river in Europe?
3 Where is the highest waterfall in the world?
4 Name another country, apart from Iceland, which has geysers and hot springs.
5 What is a delta and which famous river has one?
6 Where are the Straits of Gibraltar and the Cape of Good Hope?

Find 17 more words for geographical features. Words go horizontally or vertically but
not diagonally.

23.5 Give two nouns from the opposite page to go with the adjectives below. Try not to
23.6 repeat any of the nouns you choose.

1 sandy beach 4 rocky
2 steep 5 turbulent
3 shallow 6 dangerous

Over to you

Draw a map of a country or area that interests you. Write the English names of its main
geographical features on it. Write a paragraph about the geography of the area.

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 53

24 Environmental problems

A The problems and their causes

A variety of environmental problems now affect our entire world. As globalisation1 continues,
local issues become international ones, so today there are few places in the world that do not suffer
from environmental problems. Some of the major problems now affecting the world are acid
rain2, air pollution3, global warming4, hazardous5 waste, ozone depletion6, smog7, water
pollution, overpopulation, and rainforest destruction8. People are also worried about the
greenhouse effect, where an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide [CO2] and other gases9
in the Earth’s atmosphere10 causes a gradual warming of the surface of the Earth. This global
warming is leading to the thawing of the polar ice caps11 and all this is causing concern
about climate change. Both human behaviour and climate change have led to many animal
and plant species12 becoming endangered13 or even extinct14.

1 increasing business, cultural and other contacts between countries 2 rain which contains harmful chemicals
as a result of burning substances such as oil and coal [acid = a type of liquid that reacts chemically with other
materials, sometimes dissolving them] 3 damage caused to the air by harmful substances or waste
4 rise in the world’s temperature 5 dangerous 6 reduction in the ozone layer [layer of air above the Earth
containing ozone which prevents harmful ultraviolet light from the sun from reaching Earth]
7 air pollution found in cities caused by a mixture of smoke, gases and chemicals (the word has been formed
from smoke + fog) 8 destroying (cutting down) forest in a tropical area which receives a lot of rain
9 substance in a form that is neither solid nor liquid 10 the mixture of gases around the Earth
11 ice covering the areas at the North and South Poles 12 types 13 very few in number, at risk of
becoming extinct 14 not existing any longer

Language help

The prefix over- means too much. Overfishing means that people have fished so much that it is
having a serious effect on fish populations. Overpopulated means there are so many people
living in an area that life is difficult there.

B Dealing with the problems

Worldwide efforts are being made to improve the situation. Green parties and green or ecological
policies are mainly concerned with protecting the environment. Conservation organisations are
developing nature reserves where plants and animals are protected. Some farmers produce organic
food, which avoids the use of harmful chemicals. More companies try to behave in a way that is

environmentally friendly or ecologically sound. Societies attempt to dispose of waste in a more
responsible way, by, for example, recycling as much as possible. People aim to reduce their carbon
footprint by using cars less so that they cut down on their use of fossil fuels, for example.

C Word families verb adjective adverb
globalise global globally
noun environmental environmentally
globalisation pollute polluting
environment, environmentalist destroy destructive destructively
pollution, pollutant dispose disposable
destruction reduce reduced
disposal
reduction

54 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

24.1 Answer each question, using a word or expression from the box.
acid rain carbon dioxide endangered species extinct global warming
globalisation hazardous waste ozone layer polar ice caps destruction of rainforests
smog water pollution

1 What happened to dinosaurs about 65 million years ago? They became extinct.

2 What is the name for a special layer in the Earth’s atmosphere which helps protect our planet?
3 What word can be used to describe the increasing contact between countries that has a major

impact on life today?
4 What causes problems because it is difficult to dispose of safely?
5 What have scientists shown to be melting worryingly fast at the North and South Poles?
6 What does the chemical symbol CO2 represent?
7 What has been happening in the Amazon area and in other tropical areas like Indonesia and

Malaysia?
8 What problem is a type of air pollution?
9 What can cause harm to plant or other life when it falls on the land or sea?
10 What is the Siberian tiger an example of?
11 What has caused much plant and animal life in rivers in industrial areas to die out?
12 What is the term for the phenomenon describing the rise in the Earth’s average temperature?

24.2 Match words to form compound nouns.

1 acid fuel acid rain 6 greenhouse disposal
2 carbon change
3 climate party 7 nature reserve
4 fossil footprint 8 organic depletion
5 green rain 9 ozone effect
10 waste food

24.3 Choose a word from the opposite page to complete each sentence.

1 An environmentalist is a person who does what they can to help protect the environment.

2 items like plastic cups and paper plates are labour-saving but have a harmful effect on
the environment.

3 The government says it is aiming for a significant in this country’s use of fossil fuels over
the next ten years.
4 The company plans to part of a nature reserve in order to build its new warehouses.
5 Carbon monoxide (CO) is an example of an air
6 The melting of the polar ice caps will have a .
impact on the environment.
7 Staff can of all recyclable items in these green bins.
8 Air pollution may the lives of people with respiratory illnesses.
9 This company is proud of its friendly policies.

24.4 Over to you

Answer these questions.

1 Which of the environmental problems in A exist in your country?
2 Do you think climate change is having any impact in your country?
3 How much support do green parties have in your country?
4 What could power cars instead of petrol or diesel?
5 Suggest three things people can do to reduce their carbon footprint.

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 55

25 Towns

A Describing a city

The words city and town are sometimes used interchangeably but a city is generally large with a
wider range of facilities. This is a description of Cork, one of Ireland’s main cities. Which words or
phrases might be useful for describing your own or another town?

Cork city is the major metropolis of the south; indeed, with a population
of about 119,500, it is the second largest city in the Republic. The main
business and shopping centre of the town lies on the island created by
two channels of the River Lee, with many of the suburbs within walking
distance of the centre. The buses tend to be overcrowded and the one-way
traffic system is extremely complicated. In the hilly area of the city is the
famous Shandon Steeple, the bell-tower of St Anne’s Church, built on the
site of a church destroyed when the city was besieged by the English in 1690.
Back across the River Lee lies the city’s cathedral, an imposing 19th-century
building in the French Gothic style. Cork has two markets. Neither caters specifically for tourists but those who
enjoy the lively atmosphere of a real working market will appreciate their charm. The town has good sports
and arts facilities. The Crawford Art Gallery is well worth a visit. It regularly puts on adventurous exhibitions
by contemporary artists. The fashionable residential districts of Cork city overlook the picturesque harbour.
There are other residential areas on the outskirts.

B Facilities

Sports: swimming pool sports centre golf course tennis courts football pitch skating rink
Culture: theatre opera house concert hall radio station art gallery
Education: school college university library adult education centre museum
Catering, accommodation and night-life: restaurant take-away hotel B&B (bed and breakfast)
youth hostel club
Transport: bus service taxi rank car hire car park parking meters
Other: health centre law courts registry office citizens’ advice bureau job centre
department store chemist’s garden centre police station Town/City Hall
estate agent housing estate industrial estate

C Problems in cities

problem effect cause
traffic jams traffic very slow; commuters get very too much traffic, especially in the
stressed rush hour
slums housing in a bad condition poverty - people don’t have money to
spend on housing
vandalism pointless destruction of property
overcrowding difficult living conditions poverty; lack of hope
pollution deterioration in health too many people living in one place

traffic and industrial

D Adjectives to describe a city

picturesque [very pretty and attractive], historic, spacious [with plenty of space], elegant, magnificent,
lively, deserted [no one on the streets, e.g. at night], bustling [with lots of movement], packed [very
crowded], filthy [very dirty], run-down [in a very bad condition]

Common mistakes

There are a lot of open spaces in the centre of London. (NOT There are a lot of open places in …)

56 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

25.1 Check that you understand the text about Cork by answering the following questions.
25.2
1 Where is Cork? Cork is in the south of the Republic of Ireland.

2 Where is the shopping and business centre of Cork?
3 What is Cork’s traffic system like?
4 What is special about the site of St Anne’s Church?
5 In what style is the architecture of Cork Cathedral?
6 Can you buy souvenirs at the markets?
7 Why is the Crawford Gallery worth visiting?
8 Where do Cork people live?

Fill in the gaps in this description of a town. Use words from the text about Cork.

Cambridge has the 1 second oldest university in
of around
England (after Oxford). It has a 2

108,900, many of whom are students. The main tourist
3 of the town lies in the city centre, around
the university colleges. A number of the old university
buildings are built on the 4 of former

monasteries or convents. Most of the more picturesque
colleges 5 the River Cam.

Most of the main hotels in the town are within walking 6 of the centre. The town
centre has a lively fruit and vegetable 7 and it 8
Saturdays. The Fitzwilliam Museum is well 9 to be very crowded on
visiting as is an art gallery called Kettle’s
Yard which regularly puts on quite varied 10
plenty of sports 11 by a range of artists. The town also has
catering for both young and old. An interesting new Science Park
has been built on the 12 of the town, about two kilometres from the city centre.

25.3 Look at the facilities listed in B. Think of a town and tick all those facilities which the
25.4 town has.

25.5 Suggest three words which would collocate well with the nouns below. The words do not
25.6 have to be on the left-hand page.

25.7 1 history / science / folk / museum 4 / / / court
/ centre 5 / / / club
2 // / college 6 / / / agency
3 //

Which of the facilities in B might you go to in order to:

1 dance? a club 4 get married? 7 borrow a book?
5 buy a house? 8 buy a meal to eat at home?
2 play tennis? 6 see an exhibition? 9 do an evening class?
3 find a taxi?

What are the problems in C for these suggested solutions?

1 They should provide good-quality state housing. slums

2 There should be stricter laws about traffic emissions.
3 They should restrict the number of people living in any one area.
4 People who destroy public property should be made to do community service.
5 We need a much better public transport system.

Over to you

Write a description of the town where you live or another town you know well, using as much
of the vocabulary from this unit as possible.

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 57

26 The natural world

A Birds and animals horns

beak whiskers mane
fur tail
wing
claws hoof
eggs leaves
nest

B feather paw

Flowers and trees

petals pollen

bud thorn leaf bough branch
stem bark
twig trunk

roots

C Specific animals

Here are the English names of some creatures that you may not know.

frog whale shark bat worm deer (singular
and plural)

owl fox snail crab pigeon peacock seal

D Some verbs and collocations for talking about processes in nature

Our apple tree flowers / blossoms in April.
Let’s pick some flowers.
These birds lay their eggs on the ground.
Bees collect pollen from flowers to make honey.

Some verbs can be intransitive (no object) or transitive (with an object):
These flowers grow very quickly. We grew some tomatoes in our garden last year.
These animals breed in the spring. My neighbour breeds Burmese cats and sells them.

Common mistakes

Remember, we pick flowers / fruit; we don’t say pick up.
We picked some flowers and put them in a vase. (NOT picked up)
We pick something up when it has fallen from its normal position or someone drops it.
A woman dropped her purse so I picked it up and gave it back to her.

58 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

26.1 Answer the questions about the animals and plants on the opposite page.

1 Where does a bird lay its eggs? in a nest

2 What do bees help to move from one flower to another as they collect nectar
to make honey?

3 What do we call the hairs that stick out from a cat’s face?
4 Which part of a flower usually has the brightest colour(s)?
5 What do we call a horse’s foot?

26.2 Put these words into two groups: ‘animal words’ or ‘plant words’.
mane petal oak willow fox worm thorn horn bark stem claw owl

animal words plant words

mane

26.3 Fill in the blanks in the sentences below using words from the opposite page.

1 A tree’s roots go a long way underground.
2 A cat can sharpen its against the of a tree.
3 Most fruit trees in spring.
4 Plants will not unless they get enough water and light.
5 Flowers last longer in a vase if you crush the end of their
6 A flower that is just about to open is called a .
.
7 Take care not to prick yourself. That plant has sharp
8 If we pick up those , we can use them to start the fire. .

9 use a kind of radar to find their way around.

10 move very, very slowly.

26.4 Match the sentence beginnings on the left with the endings on the right.

1 A large bough fell d a some herbs to put on our pizza.
2 We picked up
3 The scientists grew b its feathers. It was beautiful.
c into the stream and swam away.
4 The peacock opened d from the tree during the storm.
5 A frog jumped e some apples that had dropped from the tree.
6 We picked f a new type of tomato that was very big.

26.5 Answer the questions.

1 Which moves fastest and which moves slowest: a worm, a snail, or a deer? a deer, a snail

2 Which is the odd one out: a seal, a whale, or a crab?
3 Which of these animals has paws: a frog, a bat, a cat, a pigeon?
4 Which is correct? The bird lay / laid / lied three eggs.
5 Which is correct: (a), (b), or both? (a) He breeds horses. (b) Rabbits breed very quickly.
6 Which is a bird: a bat, a pigeon or both?

26.6 Over to you

A tulip is the national emblem of the Netherlands and a maple leaf represents
Canada. What flower or animal is used as the national emblem of your
country?
Find out what other plants or animals are national emblems of other countries.

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 59

27 Clothes

A Some items of clothing

At this level you probably already know most of the everyday words for clothes. Here are some items
of clothing or parts of them which are perhaps less familiar.

hoodie hood

bikini

collar cuff sleeve
hem badge
pyjamas zip laces

belt buckle bra sole heel helmet slippers

Language help

Most items of clothing covering the legs are plural words only. If you wish to count them, you need
to say, e.g. Six pairs of trousers/shorts/tights/jeans/underpants or Jamie’s football shorts are too
small for him now. I need to get him a new pair.

B Verbs associated with clothing

Can I try on these grey shoes in the window?
I love dressing up for parties as I normally wear jeans.
The skirt is too tight and too short - it needs letting out and letting down.
The dress is too loose and too long - it needs taking in and taking up.
He changed out of his weekend clothes into his uniform.
Red usually doesn’t suit people with ginger hair.
Her black bag matches her shoes.
Those shoes don’t fit my son any more. He’s grown out of them.

C Adjectives for describing people’s clothing

How things fit: baggy [loose] close-fitting [tight] pinstriped spotted
Style: long-sleeved sleeveless V-neck round-neck
Materials: denim [jeans are usually made of this] woollen
[made of wool] suede [a kind of leather that isn’t shiny]

plain striped checked flowery tartan

D Other words and expressions useful for talking about clothing

Anna always looks very elegant even when she’s dressed casually. [in a casual or informal way]
I don’t think it’s worth spending money on designer sunglasses. [made by a famous or fashionable designer]
Does your country have a special national costume?
Alessandra’s put her top on inside out - I can see the label!
The burglars wore masks and hoods as a disguise in the hope that no one would be able to
recognise them on CCTV.

60 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

27.1 Which words illustrated in A opposite fit best in the following sentences?

27.2 1 I’ve eaten too much - I’ll have to loosen my belt.
27.3
27.4 2 I must get my black shoes repaired. One is broken and both the
have holes in them. over your shirt.
3 Do up your or you’ll fall over.
4 It’s not very warm today. You should wear a
5 Put your on - this floor is very cold.
6 I’ve almost finished making my dress for the party but I’ve still got to take up the
and sew on some
.
7 It’s starting to rain - why don’t you put your up so you don’t get wet.
8 Come on, children. It’s time for bed. Go and put your on.
9 You must wear a when you ride a motorbike.

10 Maya went on holiday last week. She packed her beach towel but forgot her
so she couldn’t go swimming.

Complete these sentences with any appropriate word. Use pair where it is necessary.

1 Josh badly needs to buy a new pair of jeans..
2 Blue are a kind of international uniform for young people.
3 It’s too cold for . Put your trousers on.

4 Dad needs some new underpants. Can you buy him three today?
5 I’ve got a hole in my tights. I’ll have to change into a new
.

Write two items of clothing that collocate with these adjectives.

1 close-fitting top, jeans 4 woollen
5 suede
2 baggy 6 denim
3 checked

Which words and expressions from D do these pictures illustrate?

1 Natasha always 2 Japanese 3

looks elegant.

4 5 He's turned his pockets

27.5 Put the right verb, match, suit or fit, into each of these sentences.
27.6
1 The blue dress fits her perfectly now she’s had it taken in.
2 The blue of her dress the blue of her eyes.
3 That blue dress the girl with the blonde hair.
4 I can lend you a pair of slippers if you like. I think these ones should
.

Over to you

Describe in as much detail as you can how you are dressed. Use as many words as you can from this unit.

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 61

28 Health and medicine

A What are your symptoms?

rash bruise lump spots a black eye

All these noun phrases can be used with the verb have (got). I’ve got …
… a sore throat / a temperature [a higher temperature than normal] / high/low blood pressure / chest
pains / backache / earache / a pain in my side / a rash on my chest / a bruise on my leg (e.g. after
playing football) / a black eye (e.g. after being hit in the eye) / a lump on my arm / indigestion (after
eating too fast) / sickness and diarrhoea /daɪəˈrɪə/ [an upset stomach which makes you vomit and need to
go to the toilet frequently] / sunburn / a virus.
Verbs: My back is aching. I shouldn’t have lifted all those heavy boxes.
My leg is itching - I think I’ve been bitten by an insect. [you want to scratch it all the time]
My hands are trembling after the shock of falling down. [shaking slightly]
I had a headache and started shivering. I knew it was the flu. [shake because you are cold]
My foot hurts from where I knocked it against the table.
I had a cold and it took me two weeks to get over it. [to get better; more formal = to recover from it]
Adjectives: I feel sick / breathless / dizzy. [my head is spinning]
I am depressed / exhausted / stressed.
Other expressions: I’ve lost my appetite / voice.
I think I’ve picked up a bug somewhere. [infml = caught a virus or infection]
I’ve broken my wrist / sprained my ankle / dislocated my shoulder.
She died of a heart attack.
He contracted AIDS. [infml = ‘got’]
My uncle suffered a stroke. [sudden change in the blood supply to a part of the brain, which can cause a loss
of the ability to move particular parts of the body; infml = ‘had’]

B What does the doctor prescribe?

Take a teaspoonful of medicine last thing at night.
We’ll get the nurse to put a bandage on your wrist.
You’ll need to have some injections before you go to the Amazon.
I’m afraid you’re going to need an operation.
You’ll have to have your leg put in plaster until the break mends.
I’m going to give you some tablets - take one in the morning and one at night.

Common mistakes

A surgeon operates on a patient.
They decided to operate on her and remove the tumour. (NOT They decided to operate her.)

62 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

28.1 What problems from A opposite might result if someone …?
28.2
1 eats too fast indigestion

2 kicks someone’s leg while playing football
3 hits someone in the eye
4 eats bad, rotten food
5 lies too long in the hot sun
6 runs much too fast to catch a bus

Read the remarks and answer the questions.

Casper ‘I must have picked up a bug Seth ‘It’s an unpleasant pain. I
when I was travelling.’ hope I haven’t got an ear infection.’

Dalma ‘My hand is covered Zoe ‘The doctor said there’s a risk
in little red spots from where I I might suffer from heart disease if it
touched that strange plant.’ continues.’

Write the people’s names. Who has …?

1 a rash? Dalma 2 earache? 3 a virus? 4 high blood pressure?

28.3 Match the sentences on the left with the ones on the right.
28.4
1 My shoulder is itching. d a I’ve been working too much.
2 My head hurts.
3 I’m shivering. b I feel so cold.
4 I’m trembling. c I think I need to see a psychiatrist.
5 I’m really stressed and exhausted. d I can’t stop scratching it.
6 I’m depressed. e I banged it as I walked through the low doorway.
f I feel very nervous and scared.

Match the pictures with the sentences.

A BC

D EF

1 They put a bandage on my ankle. E
2 I had to have some injections.
3 My arm was in plaster for weeks.
4 I had to take two teaspoonfuls every night.
5 They operated me immediately.
6 I have to take two tablets every night at bedtime.
One of the sentences above contains a mistake. Correct it.

28.5 Answer the questions.
28.6
1 Which is correct? My aunt died (a) with (b) of a heart attack.
2 What is a more formal way of saying these? (a) He got AIDS in 2001. (b) She had a stroke.
3 What is an informal way of saying this? I had an infection but I recovered from it.

Over to you

Make a list of any of the problems mentioned in this unit that you yourself have had. What were the
symptoms? What did you do to solve the problem(s)?

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 63

29 Medicine and technology

A A history of health technology

Ancient Egypt The earliest crutches were in use.
Middle Ages Spectacles1, probably invented by Arab scientists, were used
to correct vision2.
1500-1600
1800-1900 The first wheelchairs were developed.
1804: the first general anaesthetic3 was used in an
1960-1970 operation in Japan.
1896: X-rays4 were first used in medicine.
The first contact lenses5 were manufactured6.

1 a more formal word for glasses 2 the ability to see 3 something used to make
you unconscious when you have an operation, so that you do not feel any pain

4 a type of radiation that makes possible photographs (also called ‘X-rays’) of hidden

objects such as bones and organs in the body 5 a small piece of transparent
plastic which is worn on the surface of your eye to improve your sight 6 made in
large numbers, usually in a factory

B The present day

Medical technology has made rapid1 advances2 in recent decades3.
Nowadays, a vast4 range of devices5 is available: people with hearing
difficulties wear sophisticated6 hearing aids7; people with heart problems
wear tiny pacemakers8. Artificial9 hips10 and knees are common, and are
highly11 efficient. People who have lost an arm or a leg can have a prosthetic12
leg or a modern robotic13 arm and hand, which they can use to pick things up
like a natural hand. Eyesight problems can be corrected by laser surgery14.

1 very fast 2 improvements or developments 3 a period of 10 years 4 very
wide 5 object or machine made for a particular purpose 6 clever in a complicated
way and able to do complicated tasks 7 a small device put inside someone’s ear to
help them hear better 8 a small device put inside someone’s chest to help their heart
beat correctly 9 not natural, a copy made by humans 10 the joint which connects
the leg to the upper part of the body 11 very (more formal) 12 made to replace a
missing arm or leg 13 able to be controlled and moved by the user
14 medical operations using powerful narrow beams of light

C The future

A recent TV documentary predicted the following developments in medical technology.
• Scanners which can identify health problems at an early stage1 will become more and

more sophisticated.
• Diagnosing2 illnesses from a distance. Patients will sit at their home computers, describe

their symptoms and send information automatically to their doctor (for example,
their blood pressure3 or body temperature) using instruments such as thermometers
connected to their computer.
• Computers and huge databases will provide doctors with more and more information and
the tools4 to treat diseases.
• Keyhole surgery5 will become more common. It will not be necessary to cut open a

person’s body to operate on them.

1 during the first period of development 2 name the exact character of a disease or a problem, by examining it
3 measure of the strength at which the blood flows through the body 4 something that helps you do something
5 medical operations in which a very small hole is made in a person’s body to reach the organ or tissue inside

64 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

29.1 Look at A opposite and answer the questions about medical technology.

1 What did Arab scientists probably invent? glasses (two answers, one more formal)

2 What began to be used in 1896 to enable doctors to take photographs of the inside of
people’s bodies?
3 How did the ancient Egyptians help disabled people to walk?
4 What alternative to glasses became popular in the 1960s and 1970s?
5 How could disabled people move around as early as 1500 to 1600?

29.2 Rewrite the words in bold using words from A and B opposite.

1 Medical scanners are made manufactured at this factory. with eyesight
2 Glasses were invented to correct problems
3 Technology for medicine has made very fast progress .

in the last ten years . that make
4 There is now a large number of things

life better for people with medical problems.
5 Copies of natural hips are very efficient.
6 Some disabled athletes can run as fast as able-bodied ones using legs.
7 Scientists are working on arms that can be controlled directly by the person’s brain.

29.3 Using words from the opposite page, say what each object is for.

1 a device for people with 2 3
hearing difficulties

45 6

29.4 Complete the missing words. You are given the first letter(s). A preposition is missing in
29.5 sentence 3. Add it.

1 Doctors will be able to i dentify diseases at an early s in the future using
sophisticated sc
2 Doctors will be able to d . a patient’s illness from a distance. Patients will send

information a to their doctor.
3 K s means doctors no longer need to open a patient’s body when they
operate them.
4 Information on large computer d will help doctors t diseases and give
them new t to cure illnesses.

Over to you

Have you used or experienced any of the examples of medical technology mentioned in this unit?
How? When? Write true sentences.

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 65

30 Health and lifestyle

A Diet

Some types of food are considered to be good for our health. Others can cause long-term1 health
problems if they are consumed2 in large quantities. Here are some examples.

healthy ... not so healthy ...
sugary foods (e.g. fizzy3 drinks)
oily fish (e.g. salmon)
fruit and nuts4 food with a high fat or high salt content5
wholemeal6 bread processed7 food

1 lasting a long time into the future 2 eaten (fml) 3 with a lot of bubbles 4 dry fruits of some trees with a
hard shell 5 amount that is in the food 6 containing all the grain, with nothing taken out 7 treated with
chemicals to preserve the food or to add taste or colour

Some foods are considered to be superfoods - foods that may prevent diseases and improve
mental1 as well as physical2 health. Foods that are often listed as superfoods include:
• Blueberries: may improve short-term3 memory and slow4

the ageing process5.
• Apples: a good source6 of vitamin C; they can also lower7 cholesterol.
• Spinach: high in vitamin A; it can boost8 the immune system.
• Vegetable juice (especially tomato): can reduce the risk9 of heart disease.

1 of the mind 2 of the body 3 lasting a short time 4 make it happen more slowly
5 the changes to our body and mind by which we grow old 6 the place it comes from
7 reduce/take the level down 8 improve or increase 9 make less likely that it will happen

B Lifestyle

Read the magazine extracts about lifestyle issues. Note the use of the adjective and noun forms of
the same word.

There has been a sharp rise1 in the number Keeping fit need not be difficult. You can
of children who are obese2. Childhood
maintain5 a good level of fitness with
obesity is now a major3 problem. Children a simple routine of daily exercise. Start
often take too little exercise. exercising now!

People often do not realise how stressful Bad habits can cause serious harm6
their jobs are. Stress can cause high blood to the body. Alcohol and tobacco are
pressure, increased risk of heart attacks and particularly harmful if consumed in large
depression4. quantities over a long period.

1 an increase that is sudden and quick 2 extremely fat 3 very big and serious 4 a mental illness when
someone is extremely unhappy and anxious for a long period 5 keep (fml) 6 injury or damage

Language help

The nouns food and fruit can be both uncountable and countable. When we refer to food and fruit
in general we use the uncountable form (e.g. That restaurant serves good food / I love fruit). The
plural forms, foods/fruits, are used to refer to individual types or examples of food (e.g. fatty foods,
citrus fruits). We always use fish in the singular.

66 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

30.1 Rewrite the words in bold using words from A opposite.

1 If people eat these foods in big amounts large quantities , it may be dangerous.

2 Certain foods are thought by scientists to have a positive effect on
our bodies.
3 Foods with a lot of fat in them may cause health problems.
4 Some foods may cause health problems that last long into the future.

30.2 Match the adjectives and nouns to make five collocations to fill the gaps in the sentences

below.

adjectives wholemeal mental fizzy nouns
oily processed drinks bread fish health foods

1 Wholemeal bread is usually considered to be healthy because it contains the complete grain, with
nothing taken out.
2 may taste good when you’re very thirsty, but they often have a high
sugar content.
3 Types of include salmon.
4 often contain artificial colours to make them look more attractive.
5 Some foods can be good for our as well as our bodies.

30.3 Verb-noun collocations. Match the sentence beginnings on the left with the endings on
the right.

1 Certain foods can slow d a cholesterol.
2 Some foods can boost
3 Some foods can lower b the risk of heart disease.
4 Other foods can reduce c the immune system.
d the ageing process.

30.4 Can you remember which positive effect each of these foods may have? Choose your
answers from 30.3 (a-d).

1 spinach c 2 vegetable juice 3 apples 4 blueberries

30.5 Correct the mistakes in these sentences. There may be more than one.

1 Blueberries can improve short-time memory. term

2 Many fruits are a good sauce of vitamin C and provide mayor health benefits.
3 Oily fishes should form part of a healthy diet.
4 Which do you prefer to eat as a snack if you’re hungry, fruits or nuts?
5 A: There’s a new Chinese restaurant in town. B: Good! I love Chinese foods.
6 There has been a sharp raise in the number of people suffering from depresion.

30.6 Complete the two versions of each sentence. Use related word forms, as in the example.

1 Tobacco and alcohol can cause a lot of harm / can be harmful to our health.
2 Children who are / who suffer from need to exercise more.
3 Her job is very / causes her a lot of and is very tiring.
4 How can we keep / maintain a good level of ? The answer is to
get regular / to regularly.

30.7 Over to you

List the foods that you eat most regularly. How many are (a) healthy (b) not so healthy? Do you
consume any superfoods? Why? Why not?

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 67

31 Travel

A Here is some basic vocabulary for different kinds of travel

transport kinds of vehicle parts of vehicle people working associated words
road with it
car, bus, coach, boot, steering driver, motorist, petrol station, break
rail tram, van, lorry wheel mechanic, chauffeur down, breakdown
sea service
air high-speed train, sleeping car, ticket collector, platform, seat
express buffet, coach conductor reservation
liner, ferry, yacht deck, bridge, captain, steward(ess) port, cabin, cruise
gangway
aircraft, jumbo jet, cockpit, wings, ground staff, cabin duty-free shop,
helicopter aisle /aɪjəl/ crew, air traffic terminal, runway,
controller security

B Journey, trip, travel, voyage

A trip is usually shorter than a journey. We had a long journey by coach from the north to the south
of the country. We usually say business trip (NOT business journey). We took a trip / went on a trip
to the beach last weekend. (Go on a trip suggests an organised short excursion, whereas take a trip
or have a trip could be something you do yourselves in your own car.)

Travel is a general word. It is an uncountable noun and a verb. Travel broadens the mind. How did
you travel round Australia? We hitch-hiked.

Voyage means a long journey usually by sea, though this use is quite formal. It is often used in other
contexts with ‘discovery’. Learning English is a voyage of discovery!

C Collocations and expressions connected with travel

ELENA: ‘My flight from New York to Tokyo was severely delayed1 because of bad weather, then later it
was cancelled and I was stuck at2 the airport. The airline put me up3 in a hotel overnight, and they
put me on standby4 for the early morning flight the next day. Luckily, I managed to get a seat and
the flight left on time5 at 7.00 am. There was quite a lot of turbulence6 during the flight, which was
scary at times. When we finally got to Tokyo, the weather was bad and we had a bumpy landing7.
Luckily, I don’t get airsick8 but I had terrible jetlag9 for days afterwards.’

1 delayed for a very long time 2 unable to move from 3 paid for me to stay 4 promised me a seat if one
became available 5 punctually 6 strong, sudden movements while the plane was in the air 7 we landed
in a way that was not smooth 8 feel sick because of the movement of the plane; more formal = suffer from
airsickness 9 had a feeling of tiredness caused by moving quickly from one time zone to another

Pieter: ‘I’d always wanted to sail across the Mediterranean, though I was worried I might get
seasick. Anyway, I volunteered to work as a crew member on board a yacht and it was an amazing
experience. Everything ran very smoothly, even when the sea was rough1, and I never suffered from
seasickness2.’

1 opp = a calm sea 2 less formal = I never got seasick

Common mistakes

We don’t say ‘a travel’. Travel is an uncountable noun.
After we left the airport, we had a long journey by car. (NOT we had a long travel)
Remember, we say on time, not in time when we mean ‘punctually’.
The train arrived on time and I picked her up at the station. (NOT The train arrived in time)

68 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

31.1 Match the sentence beginnings on the left with the endings on the right.
31.2
1 The customs officer stopped the car d a and they couldn’t get a cabin.
2 The car broke down
3 The air traffic controllers went on strike b and they had nothing to eat.
4 The buffet was closed c and they had a wonderful cruise.
5 The ferry was full d and the driver had to open the boot.
6 The liner was very modern e and a mechanic came to help them.
f and their flight was cancelled.

Sort the words according to the type of transport. One of the words fits in two places.
Which is it?
jumbo jet port express steering wheel coach helicopter gangway runway
tram wing chauffeur platform ground staff van cockpit lorry liner deck

road rail air sea

steering wheel

31.3 Choose the best word flight, journey, trip, travel or voyage to fit these gaps.
31.4
1 I would love to travel round the world in a balloon.
2 The liner Titanic sank on its very first
.
3 How long does the from New York to Rio take?
4 She says her hobbies are reading, golf and
5 When they were in Cairo they took a .
to see the Pyramids.
6 Getting from London to the north of Scotland involves a long overnight train
.

Read these travel blogs and fill the gaps with words from the opposite page.

Erik's Blog (24 June) Mona's Blog (5 July)

The flight from Huascal to Puerto Amlugo was I didn’t have a reservation for the Eurostar

s delayed (six hours!). I was worried train from Paris to London, but they put me on

I’d get s at the airport (and hoped s and I got a s on

that the airline would p me a later train. It was a good journey, everything

u in a nice hotel ) but anyway the ran s and it arrived

flight wasn’t c and we finally took time. In London, I enquired if there was a

off. The weather was awful, and we experienced s c on the train

a lot of t . In fact, the flight was to Scotland so I could travel overnight. The

so b that I got a alternative was a hotel and the e______________

(very unpleasant!). But the c

c were very friendly and helpful, m train at 6.30 am (too early for

which made me feel better. The l me!). When I get to Scotland I want to go to

was not so bad and soon we were at the some of the islands. I hope the sea is

t collecting our baggage. I slept well c______________. I hate r______________ seas -

last night - I think I’ve got over the j I always get s______________!

I had after my 12-hour flight from Europe.

31.5 Over to you

Give answers that are true for you, and reasons.
1 How often do you travel by train? Have you ever been on a high-speed train?
2 Which do you prefer on a plane, a window or an aisle seat? Why? Do you usually visit the duty-free

shop? What do you look for? What do you do before going through security?

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 69

32 Holidays

A Places to stay and types of holiday

campsite: a place where you can pitch a tent or park a caravan
self-catering flat/apartment: a flat which you rent; you cook for yourself
guesthouse: accommodation like a hotel but cheaper and with fewer services
youth hostel: cheap accommodation, mainly for young people, with, perhaps, ten or more people
sleeping in bunk beds in one room
package holiday: a holiday in which you pay for travel, accommodation and food (even occasionally
excursions) in advance
cruise: a holiday spent touring (or cruising) on a boat, stopping off to go sightseeing at different ports
an adventure holiday: a holiday involving unusual, exciting and possibly dangerous activities -
suitable for adventurous people

B Holiday messages

Reply Forward

Dear Zara 1 go somewhere different
2 far from other places
Having a wonderful holiday. It’s so nice to get 3 with lots of bends, not at
away1. We’re staying at an amazing campsite all straight 4 all around
up in the mountains. It’s very remote2 and we 5 very frightening
had to drive up an unbelievably winding3 road
to get here. But once we made it, the views
over the surrounding4 countryside made the
terrifying5 drive worthwhile. I'm sending a
photo of our camping spot.

Love, Sami

Reply Forward

Dear Nico 1 one that will always be

This is turning out to be probably the most remembered (a memorable
memorable1 holiday I’ve ever had. The holiday is a strong
town is absolutely fascinating2 with lots collocation) 2 extremely
of very impressive3 buildings. Our hotel is interesting 3 grand,
delightful4 - if a little inconvenient5 from making an impact
4 charming 5 hard to get
the transport point of view - and the food to 6 unusually good
in this area is exceptional6. These are

some of the old buildings in the town.

Wish you were here too!

Francesca

C Holiday brochures

These are often written in quite exaggerated language. Here are some typical adjectives with nouns
that they collocate with.
breathtaking views / scenery / pistes (ski slopes) [breathtaking (like stunning) suggests that something is
so magnificent that it takes your breath away]
exclusive access / club / shops [only the most special people can use the facilities]
exhilarating feeling / ride / walk [makes you feel excited and full of energy]
exotic beauty / charm / location [unusual and more exciting than your everyday reality]
glamorous surroundings / film star / hotel [especially exciting and attractive]
luxurious cruise ship / accommodation / lifestyle [provides great comfort]
picturesque streets / villages / cottage [very pretty; attractive to look at - as pretty as a picture]
unspoilt charm / village / woodland [still in a beautiful and natural state]
unique opportunity / charm / facilities [so special it does not exist anywhere else]

70 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

32.1 Complete this table. Use a dictionary to help you, if necessary.

adjective noun verb
fascinating
fascination
delightful
exhilarating
glamorous
luxurious

32.2 Fill in the gaps in this holiday message with appropriate adjectives from the opposite page.

Reply Forward

Hi,

Am having a wonderful holiday here. The town here is very old and quite 1 fascinating . The
guidebook says it is remarkable for its 2
charm and it is right! It is surrounded by

magnificent mountains and yesterday I went for an 3 climb. Even though it isn’t too

expensive, the hotel is quite 4 and the view from my balcony is 5 .

Wish you were here!

Love, P

32.3 Complete these sentences with a word from the opposite page.
32.4
32.5 1 At the youth hostel Anya insisted on sleeping in the top bunk .
2 As soon as we got to the campsite we our tent.
3 Visitors to our hotel have access to our own private beach.
4 It’s often cheaper to go on a holiday, where everything is paid for in advance.
5 I’d love to hire a boat and spend a month round the Mediterranean, wouldn’t you?
6 I wouldn’t recommend that hotel. It’s extremely ; it’s seven miles to the nearest beach
and ten miles to the town.

7 Our trip to South Africa was undoubtedly the most holiday I’ve ever had.
8 A narrow road led up the mountain to the cottage we’d rented.

Which of the adjectives from C could describe each of these?

1 a club which only a select group of members can go to an exclusive club

2 a hotel with very expensive facilities and very attentive staff
3 a village with very pretty buildings and lots of flowers
4 a view from the top of a mountain over a magnificent landscape
5 the opportunity to go on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday
6 a walk along a windswept beach

Over to you

Answer these questions. Write sentences.

1 Which of the holiday places and types of holiday in A have you or your friends experienced?
2 Which would you prefer and why - a holiday in the centre of a historic city or one in a remote

village with spectacular surrounding countryside?
3 What’s the most memorable holiday you’ve ever had?
4 Which would you say is the most impressive city you’ve visited?
5 What would you say is the most fascinating place you’ve been to?
6 Have you ever had a holiday experience you’d describe as terrifying?

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 71

33 Science and technology

A New sciences

You are probably familiar with the traditional branches of science, e.g. chemistry, physics, botany
and zoology. But what about these more recently established fields?

field definition / applications
genetic engineering
ergonomics Works with genetic material (DNA) of living things to alter1 features2. GM
molecular biology foods (genetically modified foods) are grown in some parts of the world.
voice technology
stem cell research Studies the design of physical working spaces and how people interact3 with
cloning them.
hydroponics
The study of the structure4 and function5 of the molecules6 associated7 with
living things.
Technology which enables8 machines to interpret9 speech, e.g. voice-to-text
software.

The study of the use of human cells10 to treat diseases and injury and to
repair the body.

The creation11 of exact copies of plants or animals with the same genes as
the original plants or animals.

The science of growing plants without using soil12.

1 change, usually slightly 2 typical qualities or important parts 3 communicate with or react to
4 the way that parts of a system are organised 5 purpose 6 the basic chemical units / groups of atoms
7 connected in our mind 8 makes possible 9 decide the intended meaning of 10 smallest basic part
of a plant or animal 11 making something new that did not exist before 12 the top layer of the earth’s
surface, in which plants grow

B Everyday technology

smartphone tablet 3D TV high-definition satnav/GPS [satellite digital photo
(HD) camcorder frame
navigation / Global
Positioning System]

C Verbs used in science and technology

Note the collocations in bold.
He experimented with different materials before utilising1 the most suitable one.
The technician pressed a button and lights started flashing.
TWhheeznosohloegpiustlldeidsstehcetleadrg4ethleevaenri2m, tahleawndheeexltrbaecgtaendt5oitrsootartgea3n.s..
When they were combined, the two chemicals reacted violently with each other.
After analysing the problem, she concluded that there was a flaw6 in the theory.
Insert7 the disk into the DVD drive to install8 the software or visit the website to download it.

1 use (fml technical/scientific) 2 bar or handle that moves in order to control something (e.g. a machine)
3 turn (fml technical/scientific) 4 cut open (usually a dead body or plant) to study its parts 5 took out (fml
technical/scientific) 6 fault, mistake or weakness 7 put in (fml technical/scientific) 8 make it ready to use

72 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

33.1 Fill the gaps with words from A. Then say what branch of science each person is probably
talking about.

1 We grow the plants in liquids, without using s oil . Science: hydroponics
2 The software i your speech and e you to turn it into text.
Science:
3 We’re interested in workplaces and how people i with their working environment.
Science:
4 People are often worried. They feel that the c of an exact copy of an animal is not
morally right. Science:
5 We study how human c can be used to rebuild our bodies and to repair them when they
are injured. Science:
6 My work is concerned with the s and f of the organic molecules

a with living organisms. Science:
7 Many people refuse to eat g m foods. They consider GM foods to be
unnatural. Science:
8 By manipulating DNA, we can a hereditary f . Science:

33.2 What item do you think each person needs from B? 3 ‘I’d love to be able
to look at my photos
1 ‘I keep losing my way and 2 ‘My phone is so old I can’t any time I want to.’
I’m not good at reading take any videos with it.’

maps.’ a satnav

4 ‘My old camcorder 5 ‘It was a fantastic film. I didn’t 6 ‘I want something like
doesn’t produce mind wearing the special a laptop with a touch
really sharp movies.’ glasses. It was so realistic. I’d love screen that I can watch
to be able to do that at home.’ films on or read ebooks.’

33.3 Match the sentence beginnings on the left with the endings on the right.

1 These chemicals c a that button, it turns the printer on.
2 If you pull
3 The zoologist extracted b to flash after a few seconds.
4 When you press c react with each other.
5 They experimented d in the theory.
6 I believe there is a flaw e that lever, it starts the machine.
7 They had to dissect f the animal to see why it died.
8 A red light started g the organs from the animal.
h with different liquids.

33.4 Use technical/scientific words from C instead of the words in bold.

1 The wheel began to turn rotate very quickly.
2 Put in the disk to get the software ready to work
3 We can put these chemicals together .
4 You should use the strongest material. . that it was a computer virus.

5 We looked into the problem and decided

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 73

34 Computers

A Hardware [computer equipment or machinery]

personal computer / PC / desktop computer: a computer that fits on a desk, used by individuals at
work or at home
laptop (computer): a lightweight portable computer that usually fits in a briefcase
tablet: a portable personal computer operated by a touch screen
hard disk: a device [piece of equipment] inside a computer that stores large amounts of information
disk drive: a device that allows information to be read from a disk
scanner: device for transferring pictures and texts into a computer
memory stick: a small device that lets you carry computer data anywhere conveniently; you can
then plug the stick into any machine
RAM (random access memory / memory): the memory available on a computer to store and use
information temporarily; can be measured in gigabytes
(micro) chip: a very small piece of semiconductor, especially in a computer, that contains extremely
small electronic circuits and devices, and can perform particular operations
network: when a number of computers, for example in one office, are connected together
(or networked) so that they can share information

B Software [computer programs that you install]

An application is a piece of software designed for a specific purpose. This is often shortened to app.
You can get mobile phone apps for all sorts of things these days.
word-processing: writing and storing printed text on a computer
spreadsheet (program): a program, or the grid you create with it, to perform mathematical
operations
database: a large amount of information stored in a computer system in such a way that it can be
easily looked at or changed
(computer) graphics: pictures, images and symbols that you can form on a computer
virus: hidden instructions in a program designed to destroy information
display: what you see on the screen of an electronic device
A computer shows a range of icons on its display. You put the cursor on the one you want to use and
click on it to open it.

C Some computing verbs

You probably store a lot of important information on
your computer. So, it’s sensible to back up all your
files on a regular basis. Then it’ll be less of a problem
if you delete something accidentally or if your
computer crashes.
A particularly useful feature of most applications is
the one that allows you to undo what you have just
done – just click on Undo and it’s quick and easy to
correct anything that you have keyed in by mistake.
After a few years you may want to upgrade your
computer as they are always developing machines
which are faster and more powerful. If you don’t
do this you may not be able to run all the software
you need. You can usually just download upgrades
to your computer’s operating system or to your
applications from company websites.

74 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

34.1 Match the words in the box to the pictures below.
laptop desktop computer tablet icon scanner
cursor spreadsheet memory stick microchip

1 scanner 2 34 5

67 89

34.2 Fill in the blanks with appropriate words from the opposite page.

34.3 1 It’s so easy to use a scanner when you want to send a handwritten document to someone
34.4 by email. It’s just like using a photocopier.
2 I’ve lost a lot of data. I wonder if my computer has a
.
3 A lot of people carry their on aeroplanes and work on them during the flight.
4 I’ve got such a lot of photos, music and videos stored on my computer that my
is almost full.
5 That computer game you gave me has got amazing - the people just look
so realistic!
6 One of my most important tasks at work is to keep the up to date so that

customers’ contact details are always accurate.
7 If you put the in the middle of a paragraph of text and double click, you
select the whole paragraph.
8 I downloaded a fantastic the other day - it tells me where the nearest
cash machine is to wherever I am in the world.
9 programs make it very easy to write text and to format it.
10 It’s miraculous how much data can be stored on that tiny little computer
inside your mobile phone.

Answer the questions using a verb from C opposite.

1 What do you do when you want to add new information to, for example, a database? You key it in.

2 If you don’t want to lose computer data, what must you do?
3 If you notice you’ve repeated a paragraph in an essay, what can you do?
4 You want to open your spreadsheet program, so what should you do?
5 If your computer is old and working very slowly, what might you consider doing?
6 If you accidentally delete some text you’ve just been working on, what can you do?
7 What can you do to immediately get hold of music or a film from an internet store?
8 If you buy new software when you have an old operating system, what may you find?

Over to you

Answer these questions. 4 How often do you back up your data?
1 Do you use a desktop, a laptop or a tablet? 5 Has your computer ever crashed?
2 How much RAM do you have? 6 Have you ever accidentally deleted anything?
3 Which apps do you use most frequently?

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 75

35 Communications and the Internet

A The Internet

The Internet / the net is a network connecting millions
of computer users worldwide. The World Wide Web / the
Web is a huge portion of the Internet containing linked
documents, called pages.

If you have a broadband connection then your access to
the Internet should be fast. Many cafés and other public
places now offer people a wi-fi /waɪfaɪ/ connection to
the Internet - this means that you can access the Internet
through a wireless network, i.e. without needing a cable
of any kind.
When you browse, you look for information on the Internet. The software that helps you do this can
be called a browser (e.g. Internet Explorer® or Firefox®). You use a search engine to help you locate
what you want. Google® is one of the best known search engines and people now talk about googling
someone or something. You can easily spend a lot of time surfing the net / the Web. [navigating
around the Internet, sometimes aimlessly]
A website is a document on the Web giving information about a particular subject, person or
institution. The introductory page is called the home page. From this there are links to other pages.
Good websites are easy to navigate or find your way around. One option on many websites is an FAQ
page. This stands for ‘frequently asked questions’, a list of common questions and helpful answers.
You can bookmark websites that you log on1 to frequently.
If a website gets a lot of hits, that means that it has been visited by a lot of people.

Sometimes you need to subscribe to a site, which means you become a member of it.
This may involve having a special username and choosing a password. You will only
be able to log in2 to the site if you enter this information correctly.
You can store your data on your computer or phone, or you can store it in the cloud3. .
1 opp = log off 2 opp = log out 3 a network of servers on the Internet where data can be stored and viewed
from any device

B Online communication

You can communicate with others by email. With an email you can include an
attachment. You can attach a photo, for example. You can also send someone
an e-card. A server is a powerful central computer from which other computers
get information. If your (ISP) internet service provider’s server is down [not
functioning], you may not be able to send emails.
You can use your computer to Skype friends and family - the software allows
you to make phone calls using your computer and the Internet, and you can see
which people on your contact list are online at the same time. If you each have
a webcam, you can see each other as you talk.
Many modern online programs can be called interactive, i.e. they allow users
to become involved in the exchange of information. For example, social
networking sites like Facebook are a popular way for people to keep in touch
with their friends.
A wiki is a website which allows users to add, delete and edit its contents.
Wikipedia is perhaps the world’s largest wiki. Blogs are also interactive as they
are a kind of online diary that readers can add comments to. Many people are
involved in online gaming, playing with people who they have never met. Often
these games make use of virtual reality. [a set of images and sounds produced by a
computer, which represent a place or a situation that the gamer can take part in]

76 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

35.1 Which word from the box matches each definition?

attachment bookmark browser contact list navigate internet service provider
password search engine server cloud

1 email addresses, phone numbers, etc. for the people you know contact list

2 something that you send with an email
3 an individual combination of letters and digits that you use to log in to a

website
4 a way of accessing a favourite website quickly
5 software that allows you to surf the web
6 a company that enables you to use the web
7 software that helps you to locate the websites that you need
8 a large computer that holds information that can be accessed by smaller

computers
9 to find your way around a website or between websites
10 a network of servers where you can store your data on the Internet

35.2 Choose a word from the opposite page to complete each sentence.

1 WWW stands for World Wide Web .
2 I read that journalist’s every day - he’s always got something interesting to
say and often readers add some very interesting comments.
3 I couldn’t the Internet last night. The server must have been
4 It’s wonderful being able to .
my cousins who live in Australia - I love seeing them
as well as talking to them.

5 I’ve decided to to my favourite newspaper’s website. It doesn’t cost much and it
has lots of interesting stuff there.
6 I like this website because it has lots of very useful to all sorts of other sites
that interest me.
7 My brother loves online gaming, particularly reality games.
8 An website is one which allows users to add comments to it or edit its
content in some way.

35.3 Are these statements true or false? If they are not true, correct them.

1 Google® is the name of a browser. False - Google is the name of a search engine.

2 FAQ stands for Fast Answers to Questions.
3 If a café says that it has wi-fi access, you can get online with your laptop there.
4 A wiki is a kind of computer device.
5 When you want to use some websites you may be asked to enter a password.
6 If you send someone an e-card they will receive it in the post.
7 When you want to stop using the net, you log on.
8 A website’s home page is the one where you will find key information about the site

and links to its other pages.

35.4 Over to you

Answer these questions about yourself. 4 How often do you use social networking sites?
1 What do you mainly use the Internet for? 5 Do you write a blog or read anyone else’s blog?
2 What is your search engine of choice? 6 Do you enjoy online gaming?
3 Which websites have you bookmarked?

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 77

36 Social media I probably update my status
about twice a week. I like
A Social media verbs telling people what I’m doing.

My friend posted a video of Over 100,000 people
her baby and it was shared subscribe to his video
over a thousand times! channel and follow him
on Twitter.
Send me a friend request,
and then you can see the Language help
pictures I took.
Many of the words in this unit
B A social media app are used as both nouns and
verbs. For example:
Here’s our round-up of the latest apps. This month we loved 24 people liked my post.
CatNapp, a new social media app that allows users to share My post got 24 likes.
information about their favourite pets. I commented on her status.
We found it very easy to use. You create a profile of your cat, I wrote a comment on her
upload a favourite photo and include some basic information status.
about it (age, colour, favourite food). You can then post
updates about what your cat has been doing, share links1 to 1 connections to other websites
things you find interesting or comment on other cats’ profiles. 2 times people have watched it
You can rate videos of other cats’ adventures (from one to five 3 times people have clicked ‘like’
stars) or see how many views2 or likes3 your post got. The 4 messages to tell you when
something has happened
most popular post each month wins a prize!
We found it a little annoying that you can’t turn off
notifications4 when a friend writes something new, but
overall cat lovers will adore it. Highly recommended.

C Online privacy

Top tips for staying safe online

On social media, it’s important to think about who can see your personal information:

• If you have to give personal information (e.g. date of birth, address) when you create an account,
make sure that it’s kept private. It’s better not to give this information if you don’t have to.

• Always check your privacy settings [choices on your account about what people see on your profile]
regularly and make sure you understand who can see what you post. For example, often your
profile picture is public, but you can usually make posts on your timeline [collection of photos
and other posts on your profile] private.

• Remember that if you are tagged [your name and a link to your profile is added] in someone else’s post,
it might be seen by a lot of people you don’t know. You can ask people to remove the tag if necessary.

• Use direct messages [messages that only the people in the conversation can see] for private
conversations, especially if you discuss where you live, paying for things, etc.

• Delete old accounts on sites that you are not using any more. You might forget what information
they contain, or the default [what happens automatically if you don’t change it] privacy settings
might change.

78 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

36.1 Fill in the gaps with the words below.

follow request post share subscribe status

1 If you liked this video, please share it with your friends.

2 I hate it when people hundreds of photos from their holiday.
3 Do you know Monica Coto? She’s just sent me a friend on Facebook.
4 I just updated my to tell people we’ve arrived safely at the hotel.
5 You can to our channel, and we’ll email you when a new video comes out.
6 Mo likes to chefs and food writers on Twitter.

36.2 Circle the correct word.

1 I’ve just uploaded comments / photos of Saturday’s football match to the team Facebook page.
2 Yi Ling posts / views a lot of updates about her training for the 10k run.
3 Jo posted a really interesting article about Formula 1 racing, but it didn’t get any likes / rates.
4 To enter the competition, share / view this picture on your timeline before 8 pm on Friday.
5 Did you rate / upload that restaurant we went to? I’d give it one star!
6 Elena made a video for the animal charity she works for and it got 3,000 views / uploads.
7 An old friend commented / viewed on one of my photos, asking where I was living now.

36.3 What do we call…?
1 The page with information about the user of social media:
2 The photo of the user: profile
3 The page where a person’s photos and posts appear:
4 The message a person receives when something new happens:
5 Part of a private conversation:

36.4 Fill the gaps with words from C opposite.

1 I’m a teacher, so I make sure everything in my profile is p rivate .

I don’t want my students to see it. settings, click on the ‘lock’ icon at the top of the screen
2 To find your p
3 If you want everyone to be able to see that post, make sure that it’s p
4 Please don’t t me in any of those photos - I look terrible! .

5 If you want to buy the skirt, please send me a d message.
6 To create an a , you have to give your email address and a password.
7 The d setting for new posts on this site is Friends Only, but it’s easy to
change if you want to share something publicly.

36.5 Over to you

Answer these questions about yourself.
1 What was the last thing you posted on social media?
2 How many views and/or likes did it get?
3 How often do you comment on other people’s posts?
4 Have you checked your privacy settings recently? Is your profile public or private?

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 79

37 The press and the media

A Radio and television

Read these extracts from TV listings.

4.00 pm Jessica: talk show1 with Jessica 7.00 pm Documentary: Are we killing our kids?
Brown; today’s guest, Rona Fredale Investigating5 the junk food industry

5.00 pm Cartoons2: crazy fun for kids of 8.00 pm The Happy Couple: sitcom6 about a pair
all ages of newly-weds

5.30 pm Golden Chance: game show3 with 9.00 pm Roundup: sports programme with all the
Bob Langley day’s top action - tonight: rugby final

6.00 pm News and weather forecast 10.00 pm The Day in Politics: current affairs7
programme. Presenter8: James Hill

6.30 pm Didbury Street: the nation’s 10.30 pm Wikdal: detective drama set in Norway.
favourite soap4 Episode9 3: A second body is found

1 usually has a host and famous people who answer questions about themselves 2 film where the characters
are drawn rather than real 3 show where people compete to win prizes 4 short for soap opera - a series

of TV/radio programmes about the lives of a particular group of characters, continuing over a long period and

broadcast (several times) every week 5 trying to find out the facts/truth about something 6 funny TV/

radio show where the same characters appear in a different story each week 7 news about political events

happening now 8 person who introduces the show 9 one of the parts into which a story is divided

B Other expressions connected with TV and radio

The (mass) media refers to TV, radio, newspapers and the Internet, i.e. means of communication
which reach very large numbers of people.

Subtitles enable people to read what the characters are saying (maybe in translation).
If a film is dubbed, you hear the speech in your own language.

To receive a lot of TV channels, you may need a satellite dish on the roof or wall of your house.
Many channels depend on (TV) commercials to make money. You may be able to stream radio and TV
broadcasts from the Internet and you may be
able to watch catch-up TV, or TV on demand, Language help

which allow you to watch programmes whenever The noun means (a way of doing something)
you like. A lot of radio and TV stations offer free always ends in s, even in the singular. The Internet
podcasts which you can download.
is an important means of communication.

C Newspapers

A popular or tabloid newspaper usually focuses on1 sensation2 rather than real news, whereas
a quality newspaper is usually more interested in serious news. A tabloid often has stories about
celebrities, sport, scandals3 and crime, while a quality paper focuses more on serious journalism4
with in-depth5 articles. To read newspapers on the Internet, you may have to subscribe / pay a
subscription6.

1 emphasises / pays attention to 2 very exciting or interesting events 3 events which shock people in a moral
way 4 the work of collecting, writing and publishing or broadcasting news and articles 5 done carefully and in
great detail, explaining the reasons for events 6 pay a sum of money regularly (e.g. once a year)

D Verbs connected with the media

The BBC World Service broadcasts throughout the world. [transmits TV/radio programmes]
They’re televising the opening of Parliament tomorrow. (or, less formal: showing)
The film was shot / made on location in Australia. [filmed in a real place, not in a studio]
The series is set in London in the 1980s. [place/time where the drama happens]
Within minutes of the event, people were tweeting about it. [posting very short messages on the Internet]

Common mistakes

Remember that the noun news is uncountable and takes a singular verb. I have some news for you.
(NOT I have a news.) The news is on TV at 7 pm. (NOT The news are on TV.)

80 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

37.1 What sort of TV programmes from A opposite are these people talking about?

1 ‘It investigated 2 ‘Walt Disney made a 3 ‘The Minister of 4 ‘It’s so funny,
how the banks had lot of them. Mickey Education was on especially when the
wasted billions of Mouse was probably it, discussing the old uncle appears. We
euros in bad loans.’ his most famous.’ new schools policy.’ can’t stop laughing.’

documentary

5 ‘My mum watches it every 6 ‘We wanted to 7 ‘They always solve 8 ‘He interviewed that
day. She knows all the find out if it was the murder in the young star who just
characters as if they were going to rain end, but it’s very won an Oscar, oh,
real.’ tomorrow.’ exciting.’ what’s her name?’

9 ‘The prize is £500,000 this 10 ‘They showed a repeat of the Manchester
week. That’s a lot of money!’ United versus Valencia match.’

37.2 Fill the gaps with words from B opposite.
37.3
1 Which do you prefer if a film is in a foreign language, to read subtitles or to have the film
d?
2 I downloaded a great p about bees. I listened to it on my MP3 player in bed last night.
3 I hate it when c interrupt a good film. I usually go and make a cup of tea while they’re on.
4 We’ve got a new s d on our roof. We can r hundreds of
channels now.
5 I’d like a job in the m , perhaps in TV or radio.
6 A lot of people use social networking sites as their main m of communication with
their friends.
7 People often download b from the Internet so they don’t need to watch them on the
day they are transmitted.

8 With a fast broadband connection, you can s TV shows directly from the Internet.

Sort these words into two categories: ‘tabloid’ and ‘quality’ newspaper.
celebrity news complex political debate scandals in-depth reviews of books
competitions and prizes sensational crimes long articles huge headlines

tabloid quality

celebrity news

37.4 Rewrite the words in bold using verbs from the opposite page.
37.5
1 The documentary looked into investigated the food industry and emphasised
school meals.
2 The programme was filmed / in Northern Finland. (two answers)
3 CNN sends news programmes around the world.
4 They’re showing the cup final next week. (give a more formal verb)
5 The drama takes place in Paris in the 1880s.
6 Do you ever send those short messages over the Internet about news events?

Over to you

Which types of media do you use most? Give your reasons.

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 81

38 Politics and public institutions

A Types of government

republic: a state governed by representatives and, usually, a president (e.g. USA, France)
monarchy: a state ruled by a king or queen (e.g. UK, Sweden)
federation: a union of political units (e.g. provinces) under a central government (e.g. USA)
democracy: government of, by and for the people
dictatorship: system of government run by a dictator
independence: freedom from outside control; self-governing

B Presidential and parliamentary government (US and UK)

United States Presidential government: The powers of the President
and the legislature (Congress) are separate. These branches of
government are elected1 separately. The President is elected for a
four-year term and can appoint2 or nominate high officials in government,
including cabinet members (who advise) and federal judges. The
President leads a major party, usually, but not always, the majority
party3 in Congress. Congress consists of two houses, the House of
Representatives and the Senate.

United Kingdom Parliamentary government: The government consists
of a legislature4 (Parliament) and a Cabinet of Ministers5 from the
majority party in Parliament. If no party has an overall majority, there may
be a coalition government formed from more than one party. The Prime
Minister is the head of the government and the leader of the majority
party in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister selects high
officials and heads6 the Cabinet. Parliament consists of two chambers,
the House of Commons and the House of Lords. MPs are members of
parliament elected from each constituency7 to the House of Commons.

1 chosen by vote 2 decide who to give positions of authority to 3 political party which won the most
votes 4 group of people who make new laws 5 group of most important ministers 6 is the leader of
7 geographical voting area

C Parliamentary elections

During a general election each constituency has to choose which politician it wants as its
representative. Usually there are several candidates to choose from. These candidates are all
standing (or running) for Parliament. They present the policies, i.e. their party’s plans. On polling
day every adult goes to the polling station and casts a vote by marking a cross on their ballot
paper. The candidate who gets the majority of votes wins the seat. If the vote is very close, the
constituency may be referred to as a marginal seat.

Language help

Here are some word families relating to words on this page.

verb person noun abstract noun
rule ruler rule
govern governor government
preside (often followed by over) president presidency

represent representative representation
elect elector; electorate (group of people) election

82 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

38.1 Circle the correct word from the choices offered.

1 A member of parliament governs / rules / represents his or her constituency.
2 India gained republic / independence / democracy from the UK in 1948.
3 On electing / voting / polling day electors cast their votes.
4 She’s running / sitting / walking for Parliament in the next election.
5 His father was voted / stood / elected MP for Cambridge City.
6 What is your country’s economic politics / policy / politician?
7 The USA is a legislature / federation / congress of 50 states.
8 Although modern monarchs are said to rule / govern / preside over their countries they have

little real power.

38.2 Look at this text about politics in the UK. Fill in the missing words.

Parliament in the UK consists of two 1 chambers : the House of Commons and the House
of Lords. The country is divided into 2 , each of which elects a(n) 3

to represent it in the House of Commons. The ruling party in the Commons is the one
which gains a 4 of seats. The main figure in that party is called the 5
Sometimes more than one party may share power in a 6
government.
The Commons is elected for a maximum period of five years although the Prime Minister may
call a general 7 at any time within that period.

38.3 Match the sentence beginnings on the left with the endings on the right.

1 The President appointed his uncle c a over a Cabinet of Ministers.
2 The Prime Minister presides
3 In last year’s election I voted b on the ballot paper.
4 Lee says he would never want to stand c as a judge.
5 Put a cross beside the name you want d from in our constituency.
6 I haven’t decided yet how to cast e the seat in our constituency.
7 I’m not keen on the candidate who won f for the Green Party candidate.
8 We had five candidates to choose g for political office.
h my vote.

38.4 Find a word from the Language help section to match each definition.

1 the person with the highest political position in a republic the President

2 someone who speaks or does something officially, on behalf of a group of people
3 the leader of a country, e.g. a monarch or dictator
4 the period of office of the person with the highest political position in a republic
5 system used for controlling a country
6 the group of people who are entitled to vote
7 to act officially for a group of people

38.5 Over to you

Write a paragraph about the political system in your country. Make sure your paragraph deals with
all the following aspects of the topic appropriate to your country:
kind of government, e.g. a republic or a monarchy chambers or houses elections terms of office
government leader

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 83

39 Crime

A Crimes and criminals

crime definition criminal verb
murder killing someone murderer murder
shoplifting stealing something from a shop shoplifter shoplift
burglary stealing something from someone’s home burglar burgle
smuggling taking something illegally into another country smuggler smuggle
kidnapping taking a person hostage in exchange for money or other kidnapper kidnap
favours, etc.
terrorism violent action for political purposes terrorist (terrorise)
fraud deceiving people in order to take money from them fraudster defraud
taking someone, especially a child, usually in order to abductor abduct
abduction harm them

All the verbs in the table above are regular. Note that the verb terrorise is mainly used in a general
way, meaning to make others very frightened, rather than just relating to the crime.

B Investigating crime

Ross committed a crime when he robbed a bank. Someone witnessed the crime and told the police.
The police arrested Ross and charged him with bank robbery. They also accused his twin brother,
Ben, of being his accomplice1. The police investigated the case2 and collected evidence3 at the
crime scene. They found Ross’s fingerprints and they also found DNA evidence4 that linked him to
the crime, so they were confident they had proof5 that the two men were guilty.

1 someone who helps someone commit a crime 2 a crime that is being investigated 3 information used in a
court of law to decide whether the accused is guilty or not 4 evidence from hair or skin that can be analysed
scientifically and be shown to come from a particular person 5 evidence that shows conclusively whether
something is a fact or not

C Trial and punishment

The case came to court1, and Ross and Ben were tried2. The trial3 did not last very long. Ross
and Ben both pleaded not guilty4 in court. Their lawyer did her best to defend them, but the
prosecuting lawyer produced a very strong case against them. After brief deliberations5, the
jury passed verdict on them. They decided that Ross was guilty, and he was convicted of6
robbery, but Ben was innocent7. The judge acquitted Ben of any involvement in the robbery,
but sentenced Ross to three years in prison/jail. As well as a prison sentence, Ross also had to
pay a large fine. Ross served two years in prison, but was released from prison a year early.
He got time off for good behaviour.

1 the place where a judge makes legal decisions 2 were put through a legal process to decide whether they
committed the crime or not 3 the legal process in court whereby an accused person is investigated and tried
4 said they did not commit the crime 5 discussions 6 found to be guilty of a crime 7 not guilty of a crime

D People connected with crime and the legal process

offender: someone who commits an illegal act (an offence)
judge: the person who leads a trial and decides on the sentence, i.e. the punishment when someone

is found guilty
jury: group of citizens (12 in the UK and, usually, the US) who decide on the verdict, i.e. whether the

accused is guilty or not
victim: a person who suffers as the result of a crime
suspect: a person who is suspected of committing an offence
witness: a person who sees a crime being committed

84 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

39.1 Which crime is each person accused of?

1 Zoe stole a chocolate bar from a shop. Zoe is accused of shoplifting.

2 Harry took a film star’s son and said she could only have him back if she paid a large sum
of money.

3 Ophelia shot her husband in the heart.
4 Noah tried to take a large amount of cigarettes into his country without paying the due tax.

39.2 5 Tom broke into someone’s house and stole a TV and a computer.
6 Mike used a website to sell people holiday homes that didn’t really exist.
Fill in the gaps in the newspaper article below with words from B opposite.

CRIME WATCH

A man has been 1 by police and 2 with burglary after a

house in the city centre was broken into last night. Experts have searched the
3 and found several items which they have taken away to be used
as 4 in court. The police believe the burglar may have had an
5 , so they are calling for anyone who 6
the crime to come

forward and help them catch the second burglar.

39.3 A preposition is missing in each of these sentences. Add it.
39.4
1 The judge sentenced the accused>ttoen years in prison.

2 Many prisoners end up getting time for good behaviour.

3 The police have charged the driver of the red sports car speeding.

4 The two girls are suspected taking sweets from the shop without paying.

5 Sam was found guilty today but the judge will decide his sentence tomorrow.

6 The jury passed a verdict of guilty the accused.

Rewrite each sentence using the word in brackets.
1 The judge gave the accused six months in prison as punishment. (sentenced)

The judge sentenced the accused to six months in prison.

2 The police think Bert is guilty but they cannot show this to be true. (proof)
3 In court the accused said he did not commit the crime. (pleaded)
4 The murder case is still being looked into by the police. (investigation)
5 Anyone suffering because of a crime can join this support group. (victim)
6 The detective thought the jealous lover killed the woman. (suspected)
7 The bank robbers are currently being tried at a court in London. (trial)
8 Nathan is hoping to be let out of prison soon. (released)

39.5 Over to you

Find out about how criminals are caught and punished in your country. Answer the questions.
1 Who decides if someone is guilty or innocent?
2 Who decides on their sentence?
3 Can criminals get time off their sentence for good behaviour?
4 How are victims of crime helped?

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 85

40 Money

A Personal finance

Read these advertisements about personal finance.

. Newbank - Your Bank Short of cash? Need a loan?
Need a good current account1 with the best
interest rates2 and a guaranteed overdraft £ Need to raise money for that round-the-world
facility3? Pop into one of our branches. trip? For a loan with competitive8 interest rates
visit our website at www.cashforyou.com

TOO MANY CREDIT CARDS? . Looking for a mortgage9? Act now! For mortgages
Consolidate4 all your cards and debts5 into with low deposits10 and flexible repayments11
one convenient payment6. Discuss your call 01569 87623.
credit limit7 with us today. Call 01677 442319.

1 account you use for most everyday business 2 percentage which the bank pays you based on how much you
have in your account 3 permission to have a negative amount of money in your account 4 join together
to make one 5 money you owe someone 6 the act of paying something 7 the maximum amount of
money you may spend on your card 8 as good as or better than other banks 9 a loan used usually to buy a
house 10 money you pay before buying something to show you really want to buy it 11 payments to reduce
the amount you owe

B Bank accounts and services

I have a steady income1 now, which is great, I’ve just opened a savings account7, and I
and my outgoings2 are quite low. I don’t have transfer8 money into it regularly.
any major expenses3.

I pay all my bills by direct debit4, so I don’t My account is usually in credit9 at the beginning of
have to worry about them. It also means the month, but by the end of the month it’s always
I have a good credit rating5, so I can overdrawn10. I hate being in the red11 and the
borrow money if I need to. banks all charge interest12 on overdrafts! I try not to

go over my overdraft limit, though.

I need to buy a car, but I’m not sure how I’m I use online banking most of the time. I
going to finance6 it. only go to the bank occasionally, to use
the cash machine.

1 money coming in regularly, in a way that does not change much 2 money you pay each month, e.g. rent,
cost of running a car, etc. 3 money you spend on things 4 money taken automatically from your account,
e.g. to pay bills, a mortgage, etc.; the bank debits (verb) your account for the necessary sums of money
5 judgement made by a bank about how likely someone is to pay back money that they borrow 6 find the
money needed to pay for it 7 account where you put money you do not immediately need 8 move from
one account to another 9 has a positive amount of money in it 10 has a negative amount of money in it
11 infml have a negative amount of money in your account 12 make you pay a percentage of the amount

C Public finance

The government collects money through taxes. Income tax is the tax collected on wages and
salaries. Inheritance tax is collected on money people get from people who have died. Customs (or
excise) duty is paid on goods imported from other countries; airports usually have duty-free shops.
VAT (value added tax) is a tax paid on most goods and services. Companies pay corporation tax on
their profits.

86 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

40.1 Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right.

1 interest e a an account for money you don’t need immediately
2 mortgage
3 overdraft b payment taken automatically from an account
4 savings account c an account for day-to-day use
5 current account d a loan to buy a house or flat
6 direct debit e money that is charged on a loan
f an account with a negative sum of money in it

40.2 Use words from A opposite to complete the sentences.

1 Nico owes his brother 5,000 euros and he borrowed 10,000 euros to buy a car. Nico has
debts totalling 15,000 euros.
2 Misha spent 6,000 euros on her credit card; the bank said she’d spent 1,000 euros too much.
Her c l was 5,000 euros.
3 Newbank offers interest rates on loans that are similar to the rates other banks offer and are

sometimes better. Newbank’s rates are c
4 Before she bought her new car, Alice paid £500 to the dealer. She paid a d
of £500.
5 If a customer needs more money than is in their account, they can get permission to go on using
the account. The bank offers an o f
6 Harry sold his car, got a part-time job and offered to clean people’s windows. He was trying to
r money to f his trip to Africa.
7 You only need one credit card. You can c all the sums you owe into one
p
8 If you want to buy a house, the bank offers loans where you can pay the money back over
30 years. The bank offers m with r over 30 years.

40.3 What do we call ...

1 the tax you pay on imported goods? customs / excise duty

2 a shop at an airport where you don’t pay tax?
3 a tax which is added to most goods and services?
4 a tax on money paid if someone dies?
5 the tax that companies pay on their profits?
6 the tax that the government takes out of your salary?

40.4 Answer the questions. Give reasons for your answers.

1 If you were overdrawn, would you be in a good situation or a bad one?

A bad situation - you would have a negative amount of money in your bank account.

2 Why might a person open a savings account as well as a current account?
3 Joel’s account is in the red. Why is his bank manager unhappy?
4 Why might someone transfer money from a savings account to a current

account?
5 Why is online banking easier than visiting your branch?
6 Why are cash machines so convenient? Are there any risks in using them?
7 Zara’s account is in credit. Is she probably happy or unhappy?
8 Bob doesn’t have a steady income and his outgoings are very high. Do you think he feels secure

or insecure?
9 If your bank debited your account for 500 euros, would you feel you had more or less money as

a result?
10 If you have a good credit rating, what will you find it easier to do?

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 87

41 Describing objects

A Some pairs of opposite adjectives

Cotton is a natural material and nylon is artificial.
Red and yellow are vivid colours while grey is a sombre colour.
You can see through a transparent material but you can’t see a conventional a bizarre chair
through an opaque material. chair

A machine that has no problems at all is perfect while one that doesn’t work properly is faulty.
Something that is hard and doesn’t move or bend easily is stiff while something that bends easily is
flexible.
A material that can be easily spoilt by, for example, washing,
can be called delicate while something that is hard to spoil
can be called tough.
A material like glass that can be easily broken can be called
fragile while something that does not break easily can be
called strong or sturdy. a plain frame a decorative frame

I prefer strong coffee to weak coffee - I can’t stand coffee that has too much water or milk in it. I like
to be able to really taste my coffee!
The painting is not a genuine Picasso - it’s a fake.

B Adjectives and nouns

adjective noun example meaning
decent decency I’d like to get a table that’s a decent size so we good
can have ten people to a meal.
entire entirety Between them they ate the entire cake! whole
characteristic character, Big windows are characteristic of houses built in typical
characteristic the early 1900s.
precise precision We need to take precise measurements before exact
we decide which fridge to get.
severe severity It’s a severe building - all concrete and straight very serious
lines.
solid solidity The table is made of solid oak. hard all through
trivial trivia, triviality He doesn’t write serious novels, just trivial insignificant
romances.

The only verbs that can be formed from adjectives in the above table are characterise, solidify and
trivialise.

C Phrases typical of speech

Did you see that great big cat run across the grass? [very big]
This photo isn’t half as interesting as that one. [is much less]
Jessie’s car is nowhere near as powerful as mine. [much less]
Tamara makes an unusually strong cup of coffee.
It’s a reasonably good piece of sculpture. [fairly good]
It’s a pretty thick book. [fairly thick]

88 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

41.1 Answer these questions relating to the adjectives in A opposite.

1 Which is artificial - silk or lycra? lycra

2 Which is more delicate when it comes to washing - silk or cotton?
3 Would you say a watch that looks like a snake has a conventional or a bizarre design?
4 How could you describe car brakes that are not working properly?
5 Which would cost more - a genuine Monet painting or a fake one?
6 Which of these materials is more fragile - china or wood?
7 Which is more flexible - metal or rubber?

41.2 Choose the correct option to complete each sentence.

1 Jana’s clothes are never frivolous - they’re always rather B .
A delicate B severe C precise D bizarre
D plain
2 This painting is of the works of Rembrandt. C entire D solid
A characteristic B solid D characteristic
D transparent
3 I’d like to buy the salami, please, not just a small piece of it. D triviality
A precise B trivial C entire

4 Do have the to put on a new shirt, not that one with the hole.
A decency B severity C vividness

5 Writing a good job application is not a matter.
A solid B conventional C trivial

6 Making beautiful jewellery requires a high degree of .
A entirety B precision C character

41.3 Choose words from the box to complete the dialogue.

reasonably nowhere half great unusually pretty

NINA: I love this room, Mark. Those 1 great big windows are wonderful, and the views
MARK: from them are 2 amazing too.
NINA: Thanks. And I’m sure it isn’t 3
MARK: as expensive as you might imagine.
NINA: I only pay 1,000 euros a month.
Wow! That’s 4 near as much as I pay. And my flat’s very noisy too. It seems
5 quiet here - you don’t seem to hear too much noise from the street.
No, it’s not too bad. And I’ve certainly got 6 quiet neighbours. I never hear

a sound from their flat.
Lucky you! I wish I could say the same about mine.

41.4 Some words in this unit can be used to talk about abstract ideas as well as objects.
Use your knowledge of these words to answer the questions.

1 If someone gives you a genuine smile, do they feel friendly or not particularly friendly

towards you? They feel friendly

2 Do you think a transparent argument is one that is easy or difficult to follow?
3 If a writer describes something vividly, is their writing effective?
4 If a person behaves in a stiff way, are they more likely to be relaxed or tense?
5 If the teacher says your work is ‘solid’, are you likely to be pleased or not?

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 89

42 Belief and opinion

A Verbs connected with beliefs and opinions

You probably already know think and believe; here are some more verbs.
I’m convinced we’ve met before. [very strong feeling that you’re right]
I’ve always held that compulsory education is a waste of time. [used for very firm beliefs; fml; maintain
could be used here]
She maintains that we’re related, but I’m not convinced. [insists on believing, often against the evidence;
fml; hold could not be used here]
I feel she shouldn’t be forced to do the job. [strong personal opinion]
I reckon they’ll get married soon. [used for an opinion about what is likely to happen / to be true; infml]
I doubt /daʊt/ we’ll ever see total world peace. [don’t believe]
I suspect a lot of people never even think about pollution when they’re driving their own car. [have a
strong feeling about something negative; fairly formal]

B Phrases for expressing opinion

We haven’t made any progress, in my view / in my opinion. (fairly formal)
She’s made a big mistake, to my mind. (fairly informal)
If you ask me, he ought to change his job. (infml)
Note how point of view is used in English:
From a teacher’s point of view, the new examinations are a disaster. [how teachers see things, or are
affected]

Common mistakes

Notice the prepositions in these phrases: In my opinion/view but to my mind and from my point
of view. (NOT in my mind or in my point of view)

C Prepositions used with belief and opinion words

Do you believe in life after death? What are your views on divorce? What do you think of the new
boss?
Are you for or against long prison sentences? (neutral/infml)
I’m in favour of (opp opposed to; fml) long prison sentences.
I have my doubts about this plan.

D Beliefs, ideologies, philosophies, convictions

If you would rather organise this word tree differently or can add more examples, do so; it will
probably help you to remember the words better.

beliefs

ideologies philosophies convictions

lef/right wing intellectual personal religious moral

socialist conservative Darwinist vegetarian Muslim pacifist

E Adjectives for describing beliefs and opinions

These are in sets which have similar, but not exactly the same, meaning:
fanatical / obsessive eccentric / odd / weird conservative / traditional
middle-of-the-road / moderate dedicated / committed firm / strong radical / extreme
Jason is a fanatical supporter of the Green Party. Grandpa has rather eccentric views. Maria is a moderate
liberal. Rosie is a committed Christian. Emma is a firm believer in free speech. Tom is a radical Marxist.

90 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

42.1 Match the sentence beginnings on the left with the endings on the right and add an
appropriate preposition. Sometimes more than one answer is possible.

1 I have strong views on c a my opinion.

2 Many people believe b the proposed changes.
3 I was in favour c marriage.
4 What does she think d the plans for the new airport?
5 This is absurd, e life after death.
6 He’s quite wrong, f how honest he is.
7 Well, that’s just silly, g our point of view.
8 I have my doubts h the new teacher?
9 Is Alex likely to be opposed i my mind.

42.2 Use adjectives from E which fit the phrases describing the beliefs and views of
these people.

1 A person who insists that the earth is flat. (an eccentric belief)
2 A person who believes absolutely in the power of love to solve world problems.
(a believer in the power of love)
3 A socialist neither on the left or the right of the party. (a socialist)
4 A vegetarian who refuses even to be in the same room as people who love meat. (an
vegetarian)
5 Someone who is always suspicious of change. (a rather view of the world)
6 Someone who is in favour of making everyone wear blue clothes on Tuesdays. (a rather
point of view)

42.3 Rewrite these sentences using a form of the verb in brackets.

1 My mum’s sure Nina’s expecting a baby. (reckon) My mum reckons Nina's expecting a baby.

2 I’ve always suspected that ghosts don’t really exist. (doubt)

3 My view has always been that people should rely on themselves more. (hold)

4 Claudia is convinced that the teacher has been unfair to her. (maintain)

5 I had a very strong feeling that I had been in that room before. (convince)

6 In his view, we should have tried again. (feel)

42.4 Over to you

Are you … ? Consider how many of these words apply to you, and explain why. Some ideas for
situations are given in the box to help you decide. Write sentences about yourself.

EXAMPLE I don't think I'm a moralist because I wouldn't try to impose my views about religious or other
morality on other people.

a moralist left-wing an intellectual a traditionalist a philosopher middle-of-the-road
a radical thinker dedicated

food preferences politics learning English sport life and existence
work religion

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 91

43 Pleasant and unpleasant feelings

A Happiness and unhappiness

You feel ...
content(ed) when you are satisfied with what you have. Content is not used before a noun. You can
say ‘She is content/contented’ but only ‘a contented person’.

He’s very content with his life. He’s always been a contented person.
grateful when someone has done something thoughtful for you. Note: You feel thankful if something
bad that could have happened did not happen.

I’m really grateful to you for helping me with my project.
delighted when something has happened that gives you great pleasure, when you hear news of
someone’s good fortune, for instance.

I was delighted to hear you’re getting married!
miserable when everything seems wrong in your life.

I felt miserable all day yesterday - maybe it was just the grey, cold weather.
discontented when your life is not giving you satisfaction.

She’s very discontented with her job and is going to look for a new one.
fed up / sick and tired when you have had enough of something disagreeable.

I’m fed up with Olivia's rudeness, and sick (and tired) of her bad behaviour.
depressed when you are miserable over a long period of time. Depression is considered an illness in
some severe cases.

I felt depressed after having ten job interviews and not getting a job.
confused when you cannot make sense of different conflicting feelings or ideas.

I feel so confused - last week she said she loved me passionately; this week she said
we were just good friends.

B Excitement, upset, anger and anxiety

I felt inspired after the concert. I’ve decided She was so thrilled when she got a job with
to take piano lessons. a TV company. She’s always wanted to work
[stimulated to do something positive or creative] in the media.
[how you feel when something extremely
The argument I had with Eva the other exciting and pleasing happens]
night really upset me.
[made me feel unhappy] I was so nervous before the exam, and
then I felt anxious before the results came
I was quite enthusiastic about my tennis out, but I passed with a high grade.
lessons at first, but the teacher isn’t very [nervous: feeling nervous is a bit like feeling
good and now I just feel frustrated. excited but it is a negative feeling]
[enthusiastic: had very positive feelings] [anxious: when you are afraid and uncertain]
[frustrated: feeling unable to do something
you really want to do] I was furious with the waiter. The service
was slow and he spilt coffee over my shirt.
[extremely angry]

Language help

Really can be used with all the adjectives on this page. Absolutely goes only with the words describing
extreme states, i.e. delighted, fed up, sick and tired, thrilled, furious. With these words quite means
absolutely, but with the other less extreme words, quite means rather.

92 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

43.1 Read the remarks and then answer the questions.

George ‘I’m just not Katie ‘I like Pilar ‘I felt so good Max ‘I’ve had
feeling very happy my life and I that nothing bad enough of all the
today. Everything have nothing to had happened. It arguments and the
seems to have gone complain about.’ could have been a bad atmosphere at
wrong.’ disaster.’ work.’
Stefan ‘I just
Agnes ‘I felt very Sara ‘Thank Carlos ‘I’ve don’t understand.
happy when I heard you for helping been so unhappy Was that his wife
she had an interview me today.’ for a long time. or his daughter?’
for the job.’ I’ve been seeing
a psychiatrist.’

Who feels ... name Who feels ... name
1 fed up with something? 5 miserable?
Max
2 depressed? 6 thankful?
3 content? 7 confused?
4 grateful? 8 delighted?

43.2 Rewrite the words in bold using words from A and B opposite.
43.3
1 After watching the nature programme, I felt stimulated inspired to become a zoologist.
2 I always get a feeling of negative excitement just before an exam.
3 I was extremely angry when they refused to give me my money back.
4 I was very excited and pleased to see my old school friend again after so long.
5 The news about Rory’s illness really made me feel unhappy
6 At first, I was full of positive feelings about the course, but it’s just not very good.

Sort the adjectives into positive and negative feelings.
contented sick and tired anxious thrilled frustrated confused

positive negative

sick and tired

43.4 Fill the gaps using the adjectives in 43.3. Choose an appropriate adverb (absolutely, quite
43.5 or a bit) to go in front of the adjective. Sometimes, both are possible.

1 I was feeling (quite / absolutely) quite anxious because she had not phoned to say she
of her selfish behaviour. I’ve had enough!
had arrived safely.
2 I am (quite / absolutely) . Can you help me?
3 It’s all so complicated. I feel (a bit / quite) when I heard the wonderful news!
4 I was (absolutely / a bit)
5 It made me feel (quite / a bit) that I still couldn’t play any songs after six
with life. How lucky you are!
weeks of guitar lessons.
6 You always seem so (absolutely / quite)

Over to you

Choose six adjectives from this unit which describe feelings you have had recently and write
sentences about when and why you felt that way.

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 93

44 Like, dislike and desire

A Words and expressions relating to liking

Reply Forward

Dear Anna,

Good to hear from you after so many years. Fancy you
being married!

I’m not married but I’ve got a boyfriend called Tom. I
must tell you about him. We’ve known each other for
three years. I quite liked him when we first met, but I
didn’t really fancy him in any big way. I did like being with
him - he fascinated me with his stories of his travels
around the world and something mysterious about his
past attracted me. What’s more, we were both keen on
sailing. Little by little I fell in love with him. His sense
of humour appealed to me and I was captivated by
his smiling eyes. Now, three years later, I can’t see why I
didn’t fall for him the moment we met. He’s a very caring
person, fond of animals and small children. He’s always
affectionate and loving towards me and passionate
both about me and about the things he believes in
and the people he cares for. I hope we’ll always be as
devoted to each other as we are now.

Do write again soon and tell me all about your life!

Love,

Amy

B Words and expressions relating to disliking

Loathe, detest, despise, cannot stand and cannot bear are all stronger ways of saying ‘dislike’ and
they are all followed by a noun or an -ing form.
I loathe / detest / despise / can’t stand / can’t bear bad-mannered people. I can’t bear listening to
her stupid stories.
Repel, revolt, appal and disgust are strong words used to describe the negative effect which
something has on a person.
His films disgust me. I was revolted by the way he spoke. We were appalled by the conditions in the
refugee camp. His behaviour repels everyone.

C Words and expressions relating to desiring

Desire is either a formal verb to express a sexual wish for someone or a formal word for wish.
He desired her the moment he saw her. I have a strong desire to see the Himalayas before
I die.
Look forward to means think about something in the future with pleasant anticipation. It is followed
by a noun or an -ing form. The opposite is dread, which is rather strong.
I’m looking forward to going to Fiji but I’m dreading the long flight.
Long for means to wish for something very much. Yearn for is a more poetic way of saying long for.
After this long, cold winter, I’m longing for spring. He will never stop yearning for his country
although he knows he can never return.

94 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

44.1 Complete the sentences with words from A opposite and add the missing prepositions.

1 Jack and Lily are very d evoted to each other.
2 Mrs Williams is very f her son-in-law.
3 Are you k rugby? There’s a big match on TV tonight.
4 Spending a whole day with my cousins doesn’t a me.
5 We just looked at each other and we f love immediately.
6 She’s so beautiful. I f her the moment I saw her.
7 Our grandmother was always very a us when we were little and hugged us every
time she saw us.
8 She’s very p wildlife and c sick animals in the local animal
rescue centre.

44.2 Rewrite the sentences, changing the meaning as little as possible. Use the word in brackets.

1 I’m fond of him. (quite like) I quite like him.

2 I strongly dislike jazz. (stand)
3 Do you think Ethan is attractive? (fancy)
4 She likes rowing and golf. (keen)
5 I loathe very salty food. (bear)
6 His art attracts me. (appeal)
7 I find Gina very interesting. (fascinate)
8 She has totally charmed him. (captivate)
9 I’m dreading the exam. (look)

44.3 In each pair of sentences which person probably feels more strongly, a or b?

1 a He’s devoted to his sister. b He’s very fond of his sister. a
2 a I dislike his poetry. b I loathe his poetry.
3 a She’s yearning to see him. b She’s longing to see him.
4 a I’m not really looking forward to the exam. b I’m absolutely dreading the exam.

44.4 Correct the mistakes in these sentences. There may be more than one mistake in the

s1enI wteanscaeap.pppeaallleedd by the terrible conditions in the prison. They were simply inhuman.

2 I can’t bare selfish people. I dispose anyone who never considers others.
3 Her manner repealed me at first and I wouldn’t stand being in the same room as her, but now I’ve

begun to like her more.
4 I felt a strong desire of finding out what had happened to my old school friends.
5 Are you looking forward to start your new job?
6 I felt absolutely disgusting by his unkind remarks about Sylvia.

44.5 Over to you

Answer the questions.
1 What characteristics in people do you most detest?
2 Would you describe yourself as a caring person? In what ways do you show it?
3 What issues are you passionate about? Why?

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 95

45 Speaking

A Reporting verbs

We can use these verbs to report people’s speech and how they speak (including how loudly and what
their mood is).

verb loudness most likely mood
whisper very soft telling someone a secret*
murmur soft romantic or complaining
mumble soft (and unclear) nervous or insecure
mutter soft irritated
shout loud angry or excited
scream loud (usually without words) frightened or excited
shriek loud (and shrill) frightened or amused
stutter, stammer neutral nervous or excited**

*People also whisper in places where it would be impolite to speak loudly.
**Stuttering and stammering may also be the result of a speech impediment.

‘I’m sick of this. I’m going home,’ he muttered.
Suddenly, someone shouted ‘Help!’
She whispered that she was not happy with the way the meeting was going.

B Describing feelings

These verbs indicate the speaker’s feelings or intentions. (sb = someone, sth = something)

verb patterns feeling verb patterns feeling
boast to sb about sth proud of yourself complain to sb about sth displeased
insist on sth determined maintain that confident
unhappy with a
object to + -ing situation confess to + -ing repentant
threaten to do sth aggressive urge sb to do sth encouraging
argue with sb about sth not in agreement beg sb to do sth desperate
groan that despair, pain grumble about sth displeased

C Adverbs related to speech

To indicate someone’s feelings, you can use a speaking verb plus an adverb. For example,
‘He said anxiously.’ ‘She spoke angrily.’ This is common in written style.
If someone feels angry: angrily furiously bitterly
If someone feels unhappy: gloomily miserably sadly
If someone feels happy: happily cheerfully gladly hopefully
If someone feels worried: anxiously nervously desperately

Other useful adverbs: excitedly, impatiently, reluctantly, shyly.

Language help

Most of the verbs in B above can also be used with a that clause.
She boasted that she had scored 20 goals in one season.
He threatened (that) he would call the police.

96 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

45.1 Choose a verb from A opposite to fit the meaning of the sentences.
45.2
45.3 1 ‘Oh, noooooooooo!!!!!!’ she screamed / shrieked in absolute terror.
in my ear.
2 ‘Don’t look now, but Matt has just arrived,’ she .
3 ‘Joey! Come here at once!!’ his mother
4 ‘I d-d-d-did it,’ he .
5 ‘I’m sick of this meeting. I’m going home,’ he .
6 ‘Oh, that’s so, so funny!’ she with laughter.
7 ‘There’s a spider!!!’ she .
8 ‘Stop ! I can’t hear what you’re saying,’ she said.
9 ‘I think we should leave now. It’s late,’ he quietly.

Match the sentence beginnings on the left with the endings on the right.

1 He always maintained d a to cancel my parking permit.
2 He groaned
3 They threatened b not to leave, but I had to.
4 She complained c on using recycled paper for everything.
5 He begged me d that he could read people’s minds.
6 She insisted e that he needed a doctor immediately.
f about the noise coming from above.

Add a reporting verb and one of the adverbs from the box to each sentence. Where possible,
use reporting verbs from A.

angrily bitterly impatiently happily hopefully anxiously sadly excitedly

Milly ‘You must pay Andrew ‘I feel Petra ‘Oh wow! Leo ‘I will never
attention!’ much better I’ve just won a prize forgive them for
today, thank in a competition!’ what they did.’
Milly shouted angrily. you.’

Lily ‘This is our Rory ‘I’m very Kallum ‘Oh, Anna ‘We may
last day together. worried. She said she come on! Do be lucky and the
I’ll miss you.’ would phone us.’ hurry up! Let’s rain might stop.’
go! Now!’

45.4 Rewrite the sentences using the verbs in brackets.
1 Don’t exaggerate your talents to your friends. They’ll stop liking you. (boast)

Don't boast about your talents to your friends.

2 I’m not happy with having to sit on the floor. I paid for a seat. (object)

3 Stop being discontented with your job all the time. (grumble)

4 He talked about refusing to pay and calling the police. (threaten)

5 She asked if we would help her. (beg)
6 He admitted that he had broken the window. (confess) (two answers)

45.5 Answer the questions.

1 Which adverbs describe positive (P) feelings and which describe negative (N) feelings?
gloomily (N) miserably ( ) cheerfully ( ) desperately ( ) gladly ( )
2 Which prepositions usually follow: (a) object, (b) insist, (c) complain?
3 Which adverb means that someone does not want to do something?
4 What is the missing preposition? ‘Let’s be friends. I don’t want to argue you.’
5 How might someone speak at a job interview if they were not very confident?

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 97

46 The six senses

A The five senses

The five senses are sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. What is sometimes referred to as a ‘sixth
sense’ (or extrasensory perception) is a power to be aware of things independently of the five physical
senses - a kind of supernatural sense. The five verbs referring to the senses are modified by an
adjective rather than an adverb.
He looks dreadful. The trip sounds marvellous. The cake tastes good. It felt strange.
The soup smelt delicious.

B Sight

Yesterday I glanced out of the window and noticed
a policeman observing a house opposite through
binoculars. I thought I glimpsed a man inside the house.
Then I saw that there was a man peering into the window
of the same house. I gazed at them wondering what they
were doing. Suddenly the policeman stopped staring
through his binoculars. He went to arrest the other man
as he started to climb into the house through the window.
I realised that I had witnessed a crime.

C Hearing

Scale of loudness:
noiseless silent quiet noisy loud deafening

D Taste

sweet (honey) salty (crisps) bitter (strong coffee) sour (vinegar) spicy (Indian food)
If you say something tastes hot it may mean spicy rather than not cold. If a curry, say, is not
particularly hot, then it is mild. Food can be tasty, but tasteful refers to furnishings, architecture or a
style of dressing or behaviour. The opposite of both is tasteless.

E Touch

She poked me in the ribs with her elbow to wake me up. He stroked the cat and patted
the dog. She tapped him on the shoulder. He grasped my hand and we ran. She grabbed
her phone and ran to the bus stop. The thief snatched her handbag and disappeared into the
crowd. Press the button. Please handle the goods with great care.

F Smell

Here are some adjectives to describe smells:
Very unpleasant: stinking foul-smelling putrid musty [smelling unpleasantly old and slightly
damp] pungent [smelling very strong, often unpleasantly so]
Pleasant: fragrant aromatic sweet-smelling perfumed/scented

G Sixth sense

Different phenomena which a person with a sixth sense may experience:
telepathy [experiencing someone else’s feelings even though you are apart]
premonition [knowing something is going to happen before it occurs]
intuition [instinctive understanding]
déjà vu [an inexplicable feeling that you have already been somewhere or experienced something before]

98 English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

Exercises

46.1 Which of the verbs in the text in B opposite suggests looking in the following ways

1 as a crime or accident occurs? witness 4 quickly?
5 fixedly?
2 closely, finding it hard to make things 6 at something but getting only
out?
a brief view?
3 in a scientific kind of way?

46.2 Are the following best described as sweet, salty, bitter, sour, spicy or hot?

1 strong, unsweetened coffee 3 chilli powder 5 Indian cooking
4 lime 6 sea water
bitter

2 chocolate cake

46.3 Which of the adjectives in F best describes for you the smell of the following?

1 herbs in a kitchen aromatic 5 a shed full of goats
6 a beauty salon
2 old socks 7 a loft used for storage
3 out-of-date eggs

4 roses 8 a skunk

46.4 Replace the underlined words with a more precise verb from the opposite page.
46.5
1 I touched the dog a few times. patted 6 He touched the cat affectionately.
7 The robber took the money and ran.
2 He knocked lightly on the door. 8 She picked up, carried and put down the boxes
3 She took my hand firmly.
4 She put her face very close up to the window carefully.

so she could see better.
5 Take care you don’t hit anyone in the eye with

your umbrella.

Make a sentence about the situations using any of these verbs - look, sound, taste, feel,
smell - plus an adjective.

1 You see a film about the Rocky Mountains. They look magnificent.

2 You come downstairs in the morning and smell fresh coffee.
3 A friend has just had her hair cut.
4 You hear the latest number one song.
5 A friend, an excellent cook, tries a new soup recipe.
6 A friend asks how you feel today.
7 A little boy asks you to listen to his first attempts at the piano.
8 You see a friend of yours with a very worried look on her face.

46.6 Write sentences using each of the nine verbs in bold in B in ways that illustrate their
46.7 specific meanings as clearly as possible.

EXAMPLE Laura hoped her boss wouldn't notice her glancing at her watch every few minutes.

Over to you

Answer these questions about yourself.
1 What’s your favourite smell?
2 Do you prefer a hot curry or a mild curry?
3 What materials do you like the feel of?
4 Do you believe that some people have a sixth sense?
5 Have you ever had a feeling of déjà vu?
6 Have you ever had a telepathic experience?

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 99